Angelic Layer Neo: Tokyo
by HA Senidal
Summary: Ch 6: Still dealing with Commissioner Ayukawa's news, Misaki takes on a new Deus. A manly Deus.
1. The Bold Newbie!

Disclaimer: Angelic Layer is the creation of CLAMP. Any non-canon characters belong to me. Got that? ;o)

Dedicated to Firebird and Phoenix from CCU, who never did get back to his AL fic :o) This is for you, guys.

At this point, Angelic Layer Neo will be told in two stories. One is set in Tokyo and will chronicle Misaki's interaction with new Deuses and Angels. The other is set in Toronto and will contain original characters. To understand what's going on, read the Introduction to AL Neo.

Now, to address any comments from the Introduction:

Shutsumon (FB): Thanks for pointing out the typos. I'm so into my writing that I rush things.

Your feedback's been interesting, and you'll see more of Commander Dragon and the mysterious group as AL Neo progresses. May you some day get AL in anime and manga form.

DayDreamer9: You'll see those bad people in action very soon. Sadly, Misaki and Hikaru won't be entering the World Championship or any other AL competition. Instead, they'll be the prize Fight for the World Champion, whoever he or she is. They'll still play a big role in the Tokyo arc, though.

Heekun, Li'ain, and Shatterstorm (Phoenix): Thanks for the positive comments. I'll keep writing more of this anime fic world until I'm dead.

Angelic Layer Neo: Tokyo

Chapter 1: The Bold Newbie! Misaki and Hikaru Challenged!!!

by HA

"My Angel has rocket wings, see?" a boy said as he showed off the jet wings on his Angel.

"Yeah, but my Angel has dual laser sabers built into his arms, see?" another boy said, pointing to the grooves where the sabers would shoot out of during combat.

This was the scene Misaki and her friends found when they stepped into their classroom Monday. People were showing their newly purchased Angels off to each other, and some of the new owners were boys. Misaki noticed how different the new Angels were from the ones she was used to. They sported different body shapes, and they reminded her of the humanoid robots she occasionally saw on TV. Boxes, domes, triangles, and cylinders with sensor plates replaced humans heads on some of them. One had the dome-shaped variation of the new hover part instead of legs. She saw the new headsets. Not only were they cordless, but the earpieces folded inward like the stems of glasses, the colors varied, and a few sported the custom variants, especially the different shaped wings on the earpieces. Misaki had Hikaru and her new headset in her backpack. It became a habit for her to bring her to school. It started after she defeated the Deus calling himself Commander Dragon. Her classmates had congratulated her, and some of the boys said they'd get their own Angels. Misaki recognized some of them among the owners of new Angels.

"Things sure have changed," Tamayo said as she spotted an Angel built like a tank.

"That's what Hatoko said," Koutarou said. "She said some Deuses don't like what's happening to Angelic Layer."

"Really?" Misaki said.

"She said they said if Deuses start using these new parts, they'll depend too much on them instead of their own skills."

"Commander Dragon seemed skilled."

"I have to agree, Koutarou-chan," Tamayo said as she threw her arm over Koutarou's shoulder. "He definitely knew what he was doing during that Fight."

Misaki recalled the Fight between Hikaru and Drago, the green armored Angel controlled by Commander Dragon. He was definitely the most unusual Deus she ever encountered in the Layer. Besides wearing a superhero costume, he kept posing and speaking in a loud manly voice. Drago had given Hikaru a hard time, but she triumphed in the end.

"Misaki?" Koutarou said.

Misaki snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

"What were you thinking of?" Koutarou asked.

Misaki blushed. "Oh, I was thinking of Commander Dragon, and..."

"Oh ho, Commander Dragon?" Tamayo's arm wrapped around Koutarou's neck, and the poor boy's eyes nearly popped out. "Looks like you have a new rival for Misakichi's affection, Koutarou-chan!"

"Gah," he gasped, his limbs waving weakly.

"Naaa!" Misaki exclaimed. The focus in the room shifted from the Angels to Tamayo choking the life out of her friend, who was turning red.

"Kizaki-san, if you would let go of Kobayashi-san, we can begin class," someone said from behind her.

Tamayo let go of Koutarou, who slumped to the ground. Misaki went to his side immediately. The homeroom teacher, a man in a brown suit, passed by them with his hands behind his back. "Everyone take your seats and put away your Angels," he said as he made his way to the front of the classroom.

As Misaki helped Koutarou up, she noticed the tall, gangly girl walking behind the teacher. Dressed in the blue-and-white Eriol Academy uniform, she walked in a regal way. Her long brown hair hung past her shoulders. _A new student?_ she thought as she helped Koutarou to his seat.

When everyone was seated, the teacher and the girl stood before the class. The teacher wrote a name on the board. "Everyone, this is Toriyama Chiaki," he said, motioning to the girl and what he wrote. "She just transferred here to Eriol, and I hope you'll make her feel welcome."

The girl bowed. "I hope to make everyone's acquaintance," she said softly. Her eyes looked around the room, and they settled on Misaki. She smiled at her gently.

"Huh?" Misaki said, blinking.

* * *

"Ah, another school day over!" Tamayo shouted as she raised her fist towards the sky. Her friends gathered with her at the entrance to Eriol Academy.

"I'll say," Koutarou said. He turned to Misaki. "Are you doing something after school?"

Misaki stared into the street. The day proved to be another odd one. Everywhere she looked, Chiaki was there. She ended up sitting a seat away from her, but occasionally, she caught her looking at her. The newcomer's eyes had a serene quality that made Misaki nervous. During gym, while she rolled off the mat for the umpteenth time, she found Chiaki standing in front of her.

"Need a hand?" she asked softly while offering her hand.

Misaki took it and stood up. "Thank you."

Chiaki smiled at her. "Take good care of Hikaru." She walked away, leaving Misaki to scratch her head. After that, the watching continued.

"Misaki?"

Misaki found Koutarou standing before her. "Huh?" She blinked her eyes.

Koutarou gulped at their closeness. "Um, are you doing something after school?"

"Hiyahhhhhhh!!!"

A foot connected with Koutarou's cheek, and the boy fell sideways. "Koutarou-chan!" Misaki exclaimed.

Tamayo appeared in front of Misaki. "Ooooooo, trying to get all kissyface with Misakichi, huh, Koutarou-chan?" she said to the fallen boy. "Not on my watch!" she said as her foot landed on his neck.

Misaki waved her arms in the air. "Koutarou-chan! Tamayo-chan!"

"Oh my." Kobayashi Hatoko appeared next to Misaki. "What happened now?" the first-grader asked as she scratched her head.

Tamayo lifted her foot off Koutarou's neck. "Oh, hello, Hatoko," she said with a little wave. Below her, Hatoko's big brother let out a groan.

After Koutarou recovered from his latest beating, the four kids left together. "Some kids are going to try out their Angels nearby," Hatoko said. "A store owner had a Layer installed outside his place."

"Really?" Misaki asked.

Hatoko nodded. "A few of my classmates said they'd be there."

"Some of ours are going too," Koutarou said, rubbing his neck.

"Well, let's go, then." Misaki smiled. "I'd like to see the new Angels in action."

The four arrived at the store and found a good-sized crowd outside. It was mostly made up of students just off from school, but a few adult passers-by joined the crowd out of interest. A few adults found themselves walking around it.

Misaki and her friends joined the crowd to watch. Through the forest of people, they saw a large Layer sat in front of the store. The owner, a man dressed in a white apron, watched as two Angels fought it out in the Layer. One resembled a medieval knight and attacked his opponent with an Impact Light ball-and-chain repeatedly. The other Angel, a very muscular barbarian with spiky hair, blocked the attacks with a Impact Light shield being emitted from his arm. Their Deuses looked like they were in Misaki's age group.

"Give up!" the knight's Deus, a lean-looking boy, said. "You can't keep blocking forever!"

The barbarian's Deus, a large boy with a bowl cut that almost covered his eyes and a noticeable gut, grinned. "Wanna bet?"

As the ball descended again, the barbarian shot out his free hand and grabbed it.

"Huh?" the first Deus exclaimed.

"Okay, do it now, Baraxus! Muscle Bomber!" the second Deus ordered.

The barbarian yanked on the ball and lifted the knight off the Layer. Everyone watched as the barbarian swung his opponent via its own weapon and leapt skyward to a great height.

"Uuuuuuuraaaaaaaa!" the second Deus shouted as he shook his fist vigorously. "Do it, Baraxus!"

Baraxus threw the knight to the Layer hard, and the ball landed on the knight's chest. Seconds later, Baraxus's elbow connected with the ball, driving it deeper into his opponent's chest. The Layer creaked with the blow, and everyone thought it would break. Baraxus stood up, and his opponent continued to lie on the Layer. The hanging display screen showed that the knight's power gauge was empty.

"Yes!" the second Deus said, raising his arms in victory. Baraxus did the same as the crowd applauded.

"Wow!" Misaki said from her spot among the crowd.

"Wasn't that amazing?" Hatoko said.

"It was!" Misaki said with a nod and smile.

A nearby girl gasped. "It's Suzuhara!" she said, pointing at her.

The crowd muttered, and Misaki and company found themselves being given space as everyone around them backed away. "It is her!" the first Deus said, his jaw almost dropping.

"The Queen of the Layer." The second Deus gasped and bowed his head. "It is an honor to be in your presence."

The first Deus also bowed his head. "Welcome, Suzuhara."

Misaki sweatdropped and laughed nervously. "Wait, you don't have to..." she said, her arms waving frantically in the air.

"Well, you've definitely gotten more admirers, Suzuhara," a girl said coolly.

Misaki looked behind her and saw two familiar Deuses. Both were high school girls and past opponents of hers. The bespectacled girl with braids smiled at Misaki, and the girl next to her wore a cold look on her face.

"Good afternoon, Suzuhara-san," the bespectacled girl said with a smile.

"Good to see you again, Suzuhara," the cold girl said, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Good afternoon, Saitou-san, Jounouchi-san," Misaki greeted.

Saitou Kaede smiled at Misaki. Jounouchi Sai looked coolly at the two Deuses. "Not very impressive," she said.

Both Deuses said nothing for a moment. The first glared at Sai. "How dare you!" the second said. "It was a glorious fight!"

"You both used flashy gimmicks," Sai said, her eyes fixing an icy stare on the second Deus. "Take away those Impact Light Generators, and you'll probably do badly in the Layer." She turned away from them, and Misaki saw the scowl on her face. "I've seen enough." She nodded at Misaki. "Suzuhara," she said before taking a few steps away from the store.

"Hey, why don't you have your Angel come in here?" the second Deus shouted, pointing to the Layer. "I'm sure Baraxus can teach your Angel a lesson!"

Sai froze. The first Deus waved his arms and shushed his opponent. "Are you nuts, Basho? That's Jounouchi Sai, Shirihime's Deus! She's an Angelic Layer veteran!"

"I don't care who she is!" the second Deus roared. "Well, Miss Veteran? You wanna prove to me your old-fashioned Angel is better than my Baraxus?"

Sai stood in place. "I don't want to waste my time here anymore." She resumed walking away.

As Sai left, Misaki spoke to Kaede, who was following her out. "Is Jounouchi-san all right?"

"She's just upset about the new parts and abilities Angels can use now," Kaede answered. "She thinks new Deuses will depend on them too much, and their ability to fight will diminish."

"Do you agree with her?" Koutarou asked with Hatoko standing at his side.

"To be honest, I'd like to see..."

"Kaede, are you coming?"

Sai stood on the sidewalk. Her arms were still crossed over her chest.

"Coming." Kaede smiled at Misaki and her friends. "Hope to see you all later," she said, and she joined Sai. The two girls walked off together.

"What a snob," the Deus named Basho said. "Can't believe she said I'd do badly in the Layer."

Misaki stepped in front of Basho. "Actually, I think your Angel is great," she said.

Basho blinked at her. "You do?"

Misaki nodded. "Yes, I do."

Basho looked at Misaki for a moment, then threw his arms around her. "Thank you!" he said, tears streaming out of his eyes as he hugged her tightly.

"Naa!" Misaki exclaimed.

* * *

"You didn't have to be so rough on them," Kaede said to Sai as they continued on their way.

Sai kept facing forward. "Angels did well before Impact Light and the new parts. They don't need them. Not now, not ever."

"I think they'll make things interesting," Kaede said. "Before, Angels couldn't use weapons like projectiles, and now..."

"Dependence on these new things will make Deuses weaker," Sai said, her hand curling into a fist at her side. "It's not right, Kaede. It's not right."

Kaede looked at Sai. "How do you think she'd react to this change?"

Sai didn't return the look, and she looked skyward for a moment. "Let's keep going," she said finally.

The two schoolgirls kept walking while a pair of gentle eyes watched them. Its owner's mouth curled into a smile.

* * *

Hibiki Tora sighed as he looked through the crowd of kids gathered in front of the Layer. "Man, not one of them's a challenge," he said with his hands behind his head.

"How would you know? You haven't even been in a Fight yet," Yamaguchi Hikari said as she adjusted her glasses.

Tora frowned. "You always have to put me down, don't you?"

"Someone has to bring you back to reality," Hikari said, winking and sticking out her tongue.

Tora sighed as the well-dressed girl with short dark hair adjusted her glasses again. Ever since they were little, Hikari had always deflated his dreams. At the same time, she had always been there for him, whether he wanted her or not. "Why can't you let me dream?" he asked.

"It's okay to dream," Hikari said as she clutched the Angel in her arms close to her. "You need to work to make your dreams come true, though."

"Yeah, yeah." Tora surveyed the crowd, and he noticed the boy hugging the small girl. "Okay, I know Basho when I see him." He blinked when he saw who the girl was. "Whoa!" He dashed across the crosswalk with his backpack bouncing off his back.

Hikari sighed as Tora nearly got run over by a girl on a bicycle. With his arms waving in the air, he leapt onto the sidewalk in time, and the girl continued on her way. "Typical," she said, and she went after her friend.

* * *

Basho let go of Misaki, who gasped for air. "You don't know how happy you made me, Suzuhara," he said, wiping his moistened face.

"Hey!" Tamayo stepped forward. "If you're going to touch Misakichi without my approval, I'll--!"

"It is you!"

All eyes turned to a boy dressed in a red T-shirt and white vest and shorts. A white bandana with the Rising Sun was wrapped around his spiky dark hair, and his shoulders bore a red backpack. A confident grin crossed his face. A girl with short dark hair appeared behind him. She was dressed in a yellow blouse, blue vest and skirt, and white knee-length socks with her shoes. A pair of glasses sat on her nose, and she adjusted them with one hand as she joined the boy at his side. Misaki spotted the Angel in her arms. Attired in a pink and white nurse's outfit, she had long blond hair with a nurse's cap in it.

"Tora, Hikari-chan!" Basho said, his mouth forming a happy smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, to play Angelic Layer, of course," Tora answered, patting his backpack.

"You play Angelic Layer?" Hatoko asked.

Tora nodded. "Hikari and I got our Angels yesterday."

Misaki stepped up to Hikari and looked at her Angel. "Wow! What's her name?"

"Ririka," Hikari answered.

Misaki looked over the Angel, then stopped herself. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Suzuhara Misaki."

"My name is Yamaguchi Hikari," Hikari answered. She motioned towards Tora. "This is--"

"Hibiki Tora, future top Deus of the world!" Tora made the V-sign and laughed loudly, causing everyone present to stare at him and sweatdrop.

"Gotta actually fight someone first, Tora," Basho said.

"I know." Tora pointed at Misaki. "For my first Angelic Fight, I challenge you!"

The crowd gasped. Misaki pointed to herself. "M-m-me?"

"Yes, you!" Tora said, his eyes full of fire. "In order to be the best, I must beat the best, so I must defeat you in an Angelic Fight, Suzuhara!"

Basho leaned towards Misaki's ear. "Ignore my friend, Suzuhara. He's always like this," he whispered to her.

"Stay out of this, Basho! This is a talk between true Deuses!" Tora said.

Basho snorted. "Hey! I won my Fight!"

"Probably by luck," Tora said, his hands on his hips. "I'm amazed you could move your Angel during lunch today."

Steam shot out of Basho's ears, and his face became a crimson shade as he pointed towards the Layer. "Don't talk to me like that! Let's settle this in the Layer!"

Tora rubbed his chin and smirked. "Funny, I didn't challenge you, Basho." He looked at Misaki. "Well, Suzuhara? Care to face me in the Layer for one ten-minute round?"

Misaki stared at Tora. "Um, why?" she asked innocently.

Tora blinked. "Why? WHY?" He pointed at Misaki. "In order to be the best Deus in Japan, I must defeat you, and I will!" The fire in his eyes intensified. "You're going down, Suzuhara!"

"But I don't even know you," Misaki said.

Tora leaned towards Misaki. "Are you afraid?" He leapt back. "Bring out Hikaru!"

"Is he always like this?" Hatoko asked Hikari, who had joined her and the others.

Hikari and Basho sighed. "Unfortunately," they said together as they sweatdropped.

"Well, I don't see Hikaru," Tora said. "Maybe it's because you don't want her beaten up by the coolest Angel ever?"

Tamayo stepped out in front of Misaki and glared at Tora. "Are you saying Misakichi isn't a good Deus?"

"Well, she's not accepting my challenge," Tora said. "Was that win against Drago a fluke?"

"HOW DARE YOU MOCK MISAKICHI!" Tamayo grabbed Tora by his shirt and lifted him off the ground. The store owner got ready to move in, especially when Tamayo raised her fist towards the boy's face. "I should--"

"Tamayo-chan, please," Misaki said. "I'll be glad to fight Hibiki-san."

"Hmm?" Tamayo let go of Tora, who landed on his butt hard.

"If Hibiki-san wants to play Angelic Layer with me, then I'll do it," Misaki said.

Rubbing his behind, Tora got to his feet. "Yes! Now I'll show you who's the better Deus!" He pointed at Misaki. "Suzuhara, you and Hikaru are going down!!!"

"Naa!" Misaki exclaimed.

Hikari shook her head. "He's gonna get it."

"Definitely," Basho said.


	2. Aerial Assault!

Disclaimer: Angelic Layer is the creation of CLAMP. Any non-canon characters belong to me. Got that? ;o)

Dedicated to Firebird and Phoenix from CCU, who never did get back to his AL fic :o) This is for you, guys.

Angelic Layer Neo: Tokyo Chapter 2: Aerial Assault! The Untouchable Angel, Zero

by HA

"Well, hurry up!" Tora shouted to the other side of the Layer. His unzipped backpack was at his feet, and his headset, a brightly orange colored model, was on. He held his Angel tightly.

Misaki unzipped her backpack and pulled out Hikaru and her headset. The crowd oooed and aaahhhed as she carried the pink-haired angel to the Layer. "It's Hikaru," one girl whispered, and the crowd murmured the name as Misaki took her place.

"Ready to lose?" Tora asked with a smirk.

Misaki frowned as she looked at the cocky Deus. "Wings of an Angel! Please guide me and Hikaru! Hikaru, fall in!" she said as she threw Hikaru into the Layer. Her Angel landed in a crouching position, then straightened up and awaited her opponent's appearance.

"Okay!" Tora assumed a pitcher's stance and threw his Angel into the Layer. "Take off and take out your opponent! Zero, fall in!"

However, instead of landing on the Layer, Tora's Angel hovered over it. The crowd murmured amongst itself, and Misaki looked over Hikaru's opponent. It was humanoid, yet like most of the new Angels Misaki had seen at school, it sported a mecha look. A red visor replaced the usual pair of eyes on its triangular head, and a red zero stood out on its forehead and chest. Twin jet packs kept it above the Layer, and its light, slender frame enabled it to hover effortlessly.

"Let's do it, Zero!" Tora yelled, shaking his fist at Misaki.

Zero aimed his arms at Hikaru. Two compartments on Zero's shoulder guards opened, and a volley of beam fire flew out of them. Gasping, Misaki moved Hikaru out of the way, but a few shots impacted on her chest, causing her to stagger a little. Zero continued to open fire on Hikaru, who found it difficult to dodge since he followed her every move. Bits of damage began showing up on Hikaru's energy gauge.

"This doesn't look good," Hatoko said as Hikaru ran while beam fire trailed after her.

"Come on, Misakichi!!!" Tamayo yelled at the top of her lungs as she balled her hands into fists. "Jump up and knock his block off!"

"She can't," Koutarou said. "Zero's out of her reach."

Misaki frowned as Hikaru continued dodging Zero's blasts. _He's too high for Hikaru to attack._

"What's the matter, Suzuhara?" Tora yelled as Zero pressed on his attack. "Can't jump that high?"

Misaki tried to tune out Tora's taunts, but she lost her concentration for a brief moment. Hikaru stopped in her tracks.

Tora saw this and grinned. "Zero, attack Hikaru with your ultimate attack! Zero Blade!!!"

Ceasing fire, Zero stretched out his arm, and a red energy blade shot out of his wrist. The airborne Angel dashed towards Hikaru at an incredible speed.

"Look out!" Tamayo yelled.

Her friend's warning came too late for Misaki. Zero cleaved through Hikaru's abdomen with his blade, and as he flew to his previous altitude on the opposite side, Hikaru fell to her knees.

"Take that!" Tora said, raising his fist.

* * *

The display screen showed a sizeable chunk of Hikaru's energy gauge was gone. "Oh my," Hikari said.

"Oh, come on!" Basho glared at Tora and shook his fist at him. "Fight fairly!"

Tora laughed as Zero hovered over Hikaru. "As long as Zero remains airborne, he can't be defeated!"

Koutarou frowned. "He's got a point. Hikaru can't jump that high."

Hikari sighed. "Looks like he finally mastered it."

Tamayo glared at Hikari. "What do you mean by that?" She grabbed the other girl by the collar. "Do you know something we don't know?"

"Um, um," Hikari said, her lip trembling.

"Hey!" Basho said, stepping between the girls.

"Tamayo!" Koutarou seized one of his friend's arms and tried to separate her from Hikari.

"Let go of her," Hatoko said, grabbing at Tamayo's other arm. "Please."

* * *

Tamayo's actions didn't escape Tora's notice. "Hey, leave her alone!!!" he yelled, glaring at Tamayo. He shook her fist at her.

"Suzuhara, now!" a girl shouted from the crowd.

Misaki saw Zero slowly falling towards the Layer. _This is my chance!_ Hikaru rose to her feet and rushed towards her opponent.

"Nice try!" Tora yelled, and Zero shot upwards as Hikaru took a swing at him. "You may be fast, Hikaru, but Zero's faster!" The Angel proved his speed by firing upon Hikaru once he was back at his safe altitude.

_Hikaru!_ Misaki gasped in her mind.

* * *

Tamayo let go of Hikari, who let out a sigh as she felt her feet touch the ground. "Misakichi!" she shouted as Hikaru staggered under the assault.

"Interesting."

Misaki's friends, Hikari, and Basho stared at the newcomer in their midst. "Toriyama?" Tamayo said, turning away from the Fight. "What are you doing here?"

"Zero Blade!" Tora yelled, and once again, Hikaru received a slash to the abdomen.

Chiaki looked at Tamayo with gentle eyes. "I wanted to watch the Fight."

"Misaki can't counter anything this guy throws at her," Koutarou said as Zero fired on Hikaru again.

Tamayo glared at her friend and raised her fist to his face. "Do you doubt Misakichi's abilities?"

"Actually, he is wrong," Chiaki said.

"Huh?" Basho watched as Zero slashed Hikaru again. "Much as I like Suzuhara, it looks like Tora might win."

"Suzuhara still has a chance," Chiaki said, and she looked at Hikari. "You know why."

Hikari blinked. "I do?"

"Look at the Fight," Chiaki said.

"We've been doing that," Tamayo said, almost crunching her teeth together as Zero slashed Hikaru again. "What's your point?"

"Study it," Chiaki continued calmly. "Zero has a weakness. Look at everything closely, and you will understand."

"Weakness?" Hikari watched the Fight. "When we practiced, I didn't notice any..." She paused. "Of course!"

Hatoko watched closely. "Ah!"

Chiaki smiled. "You see it."

Basho scratched his head. "See what?"

"Yeah, see what?" Tamayo said.

Koutarou watched the lop-sided Fight. Hikaru was barely standing, and Zero was still hovering over her. His eyes noticed the display screen. "Of course! Misaki...!"

"Do not tell her," Chiaki said calmly.

"What do you mean we can't tell her?" Tamayo said, her eyes ablaze with rage. "She's getting her butt kicked!"

Chiaki returned her focus to the Fight. "If Suzuhara is truly a great Deus, she will discover Zero's weakness by herself. After all, her eyes pick up everything, correct?"

Hatoko nodded. "They do."

* * *

In the Layer, Zero hovered above Hikaru. "This is too easy," Tora declared. "I don't have to do anything but wait for time to run out, and I'll win!" The crowd booed loudly, and the store owner found himself taking ice cream bar wrappers and soda cans out of angry hands. "You can't beat Zero!"

Misaki frowned as she looked at the Layer. The display screen showed Hikaru having a small chunk of energy in contrast to Zero's full gauge. _No Angel's unbeatable_, she thought as she recalled her past Fights. Images of Lanka, Mao, and Shirahime flashed in her head. Her eyes studied everything in front of her. _There must be something..._ She looked over Zero, noting his body type. It hit her. "Of course," she whispered.

"What's that, Suzuhara?" Tora said, holding his open palm next to his ear as he leaned against the edge of the Layer. "You give up?"

"Shut up, gaki!" one boy yelled.

Misaki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I have to have faith in Hikaru._ She opened her eyes. "Hibiki, Zero is a wonderful Angel."

Tora smiled. "He is, indeed, and when this Fight is over, he'll be the best Angel in the entire world!" His smile widened. "Ya know, I'll just have him finish off Hikaru now!" He pointed at the other Angel. "Zero, finish her off. Zero Blade!"

Zero activated his beam weapon and sped towards Hikaru. The crowd gasped. Chiaki and Hatoko watched intently. Hikari gulped. Basho gulped louder.

"Misakichi!" Tamayo yelled as she held poor Koutarou in a headlock. Despite his position, he did his best to watch.

Just as the blade was about to strike her, Hikaru reached for it, and the crowd gasped again as she gripped the weapon with both hands. Impact Light crackled as Hikaru kept her grip, her face forming a grimace of determination.

Tora's eyes bugged out from behind his headset. "No way!"

No one spoke. Zero strained to move his weapon towards its target, but Hikaru held her ground. _This is my only chance_, Misaki thought, her eyes fixed firmly on the two Angels. "Hikaru, now!"

Hikaru pulled on the blade, and Zero found himself the recipient of a knee to the abdomen. His blade vanished, and as he staggered back, Hikaru assumed a stance familiar to Hatoko. While Zero tried to maintain his balance, Hikaru made her move. Jumping back, she executed a perfect bicycle kick that struck her opponent in the head.

"The Rolling Thunder," Hatoko said, recognizing the special attack of her own Angel.

"No!" Tora shouted, and with good reason. The impact almost took Zero's head off. As Hikaru landed on her feet, Zero's energy gauge dropped down to zero, and the once-airborne Angel crashed to the Layer. The red glow in his visor vanished.

The crowd continued to stare at the Layer at Hikaru stood over Zero. The display screen showed Hikaru's barely full gauge and Zero's empty one. Tora fell to his knees, muttering "I don't believe it" repeatedly.

Basho broke the silence. "All right, Suzuhara!"

"All right, Misakichi!" Tamayo said as she ran towards the Layer, and as Misaki picked up Hikaru, she threw her arms around the Miracle Deus.

"T-T-Tamayo-chan!" Misaki said as she gasped for air.

Hatoko smiled and elbowed her brother at his side. "Why don't you go over there and help her celebrate?"

Koutarou blushed, and he followed Basho as he marched towards Misaki. The crowd cried out Misaki's surname repeatedly and began to gather around the little Deus. "Not a bad Fight, huh?" Hatoko said, looking at her side. She blinked. Chiaki was gone.

Hikari watched as Tora gathered Zero in his arms. "If you'll excuse me..." she said to Hatoko. The other girl nodded, and Hikari appeared at the side of her friend. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

Tora saw her. "How? How'd she beat me?" she said as Zero hung limply in his hands. "I had the perfect strategy, Hikari. How'd she beat me?"

"Maybe you just lack the right skills!" a boy shouted.

"Yeah! All talk and no substance," a girl said. "Pathetic, really."

"Didn't even use her Impact Light abilities!" another boy jeered. "All that fancy flying, and it couldn't even help beat Suzuhara."

The taunts continued, and Tora kept his head down. Only Hikari stayed at his side. She held her Angel closely to her chest.

"That's enough!"

Misaki's shout silenced the cruel crowd. Everyone watched as the young Deus approached her opponent with her friends and Basho. Tora raised his head. "Suzuhara?"

With Hikaru in her arms and her friends and Basho at her side, Misaki smiled at her opponent. "You did a good job in the Layer," she said kindly. "You almost beat Hikaru."

"Huh?" Tora blinked. "But I lost. 'Almost' doesn't cut it with me."

"You're new to Angelic Layer," Hatoko said. "You'll get better."

"More practice with me and Ririka for you," Hikari said, showing her friend her Angel.

"And me and Baraxus," Basho added with a large grin with Baraxus draped over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Tora said with a sigh. He looked at Misaki. "So, how'd you beat my great strategy?"

"It was simple for Misakichi!" Tamayo said, getting into Tora's face as she continued to hold Koutarou in a headlock. Tora stepped back as she continued talking. "You were no match for her!"

"Um..." Tora sweatdropped. "How did you beat me again?" he asked, looking at Misaki.

"Well..." Misaki rubbed her hand on the back of her head. "I noticed that Zero didn't cause much damage to Hikaru whenever he attacked. I figured Zero used too much power to flying instead of his weapons, and since he had to be light enough to maneuver, he didn't have strong armor..."

"...so you figured a few good strong blows would be enough to knock Zero out," Hikari said.

"And I noticed the attack pattern Zero used, so I was able to predict when Hikaru could grab the Zero Blade," Misaki added.

"All right!" Tamayo shouted joyfully while Koutarou tried to breathe, and she pumped her fist into the air. "Nothing gets past Misakichi's ever vigilant eyes!"

* * *

All of the spectators clapped loudly. Even the store owner joined in. Misaki found herself surrounded and being praised from all directions. In his haste to thank Misaki, a boy shoved Tora out of the way. As everyone complimented Misaki, Tora watched with a downcast look. He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned around, he found Hikari looking at him gently. Basho stood behind her.

"Cheer up," she said. "She's been playing longer than you. You just need more practice."

"Yeah," Basho said. "Baraxus and I will help you get better."

"We both will," Hikari said, looking at Ririka.

Tora looked at Misaki for a moment. It was clear she was flustered at all the attention, and Tamayo was the loudest of all her fans. Fortunately for him, Koutarou had been released from his friend's strong grip, and he stood at her side catching his breath. Tora made up his mind. "Suzuhara!" he yelled.

Everyone became silent. All the spectators frowned at the defeated Deus. "What do you want?" one girl asked.

"Don't you have a hole to crawl into?" a boy said with a sneer.

"Wait, wait," Misaki said, waving her hand. "I'd like to hear what he has to say."

The crowd quieted down, but still glared at Tora. With his head down and Zero in his arms, he walked up to Misaki. Once he was in front of her, he raised his head and looked her in the eye. Everyone waited for what he had to say. Tamayo got ready to lay the smackdown if he said the wrong thing.

"Suzuhara..." Tora began.

Misaki smiled. "Yes?"

Quickly, Tora fell to his knees and grabbed Misaki's legs. "Make me your disciple!" he cried out as waterfall tears fell down his cheeks. Hikari had to step forward to catch Zero before he hit the ground.

"Naaaaaa?" Misaki exclaimed as she looked at Tora.

Tamayo seized Tora and lifted him to his feet. "What are you trying to do? Look up Misakichi's skirt?" She grabbed him by the neck. "Unacceptable!" she said through clenched teeth.

Hikari glared and frowned at her friend. "You were what?"

Tora shook his head. "N-n-n-no! I wasn't doing anything like that!"

"Tamayo-chan!" Misaki said, her arms waving frantically in the air.

Tamayo let go of Tora, and the younger boy caught his breath. "I want to be the best Deus out there, and in order to do that, I must train under the best!" He went to his knees and bowed deeply. His hands were clasped together as if he was praying. "Please make me your disciple!" he said, keeping his head down.

"Oh come on!" Basho grabbed Tora by his vest and hoisted him up. "There's no way Suzuhara's gonna make you her disciple." He closed his eyes, jabbed his thumb towards himself, and smiled. "That's because I'm gonna be her disciple!"

The crowd stared at him. "Whaaaaaaaa?"

"Naaaaa?" Misaki exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Basho said. "Suzuhara, please make me your disciple!"

"Hey!" Tora yelled, his limbs waving around. "I asked her first!"

"You were rude to her!" Basho yelled back. "Why would she want you as a disciple?"

With both Zero and Ririka in her arms, Hikari sighed. "Can't you two grow up?" she yelled.

"Er, hold on a moment..." Misaki said, waving for peace.

As the two boys continued arguing with Hikari and Misaki trying to stop them, Tamayo grinned slyly and whispered to Koutarou, "Looks like you've got competition, and from younger men, too."

Koutarou froze. His face reddened. "Wh-wh-what?"

"My my," Hatoko said with a smile, which made her older brother blush even more.

"Hey, Misakichi, if you're going to take on a disciple, you'd better make sure he's worthy," Tamayo said with a wink.

"Naaaaaa!" Misaki exclaimed.

"I'm worthy of being your disciple, Suzuhara!" Basho shouted.

"No, I am!" Tora shouted, still hanging from Basho's hand.

* * *

As the arguing intensified, Chiaki watched from a distance with half-opened eyes. Misaki was trying to calm the two boys, and Hikari was shouting at them to stop being immature. She looked at Misaki and smiled. "Good work, Suzuhara," she said with a small smile before walking away.

Above her, a crow watched everything from its perch on a traffic light. If people had taken the time to notice, they would've seen the shiny black metal coat and the camera eyes on the bird. Data swirled through its processors. After taking in what it was assigned to do, the mechanical bird took off.

* * *

The old car manufacturing plant had remained without ownership for quite some time. Its closure had been big news years ago, but now it laid forgotten on the outskirts of the city. Negligence had contributed to its decay, and the paint and plaster were cracked and chipped in numerous places. The car company which once owned it couldn't find a buyer for a long time, and no one had bothered to take out all the machinery or disconnect the power.

That night, the power went on courtesy of the new owners.

Inside, where cars once rolled on and off the assembly line via conveyor belts, parts of Angels were awaiting assembling at the careful claws of the modified construction robots. In another section, computer chips were being prepared to be placed into the future fighters. Another section of the factory assembled Deus headsets. Pitch-black and bat-winged, they rolled into boxes. All of this activity was watched by several individuals in black fatigues and berets. Careful eyes watched behind shades, and gloved hands picked up the boxes and moved them to another part of the factory.

One such person entered the office of the person in charge. The room was spacious and had been refitted with the latest communications technology and even more. The room was dimly lit, but with the flick of a switch, the lighting could brighten the entire room. A black banner with the jagged silver letters "DG" set in a red pentagon hung from the ceiling above an elaborately set-up desk, which was the focus of what little light existed in the chamber. There, the back of a chair greeted the newcomer.

"Sir, the first batch of Demons is complete," he said, standing at attention.

The chair turned around, and the messenger bowed before a masked and helmeted visage with opaque glasses. A cape hung on his shoulders, and his gloved hands gripped the armrests of his chair. "Excellent. Assign them to the first wave at once. Have them hit the streets as soon as possible. You know what orders are to be followed."

"By your command, my Shogun," the person said, and he left the room to carry out the order.

Ignoring his underling's forgetfulness about proper procedures, the masked person chuckled. "Ah, everything is right on schedule, as it should be." He pressed a button on his desk, and a screen appeared displaying the face of a girl wearing a black cat mask that covered everything except her mouth. "Report, Tomie."

"Thanks to our surveillance device, I was able to see our target's abilities for myself," the girl said. The screen changed to the fight between Hikaru and Zero. The masked leader watched as she delivered the finishing blow with the Rolling Thunder. The girl's face appeared on the screen. "As you can see, sir, she is quite powerful despite her light frame."

"I'm perfectly aware of that," the masked leader said. "You know your orders. Do not fail me."

The girl bowed. "Yes, Shogun Gaizock-sama. You should not worry. Operation Destroy Hikaru will be underway soon."

"It had better be," the masked leader said. He curled his gloved hand into a fist. "I want Hikaru...eliminated."

"Yes, sir," the girl said, and to her superior's delight, she followed protocol. "DG, dominate."

With those words, the screen vanished, leaving the chamber in semi-darkness.


	3. Sunday with Misakichi

Disclaimer: Angelic Layer is the creation of CLAMP. Any non-canon characters belong to me. Got that? ;o) 

Dedicated to Firebird and Phoenix from CCU, who never did get back to his AL fic :o) This is for you, guys.

Apologies to everyone who was reading this story. OK, let's see if I can update more frequently...

Angelic Layer Neo: Tokyo

Chapter 3: Sunday with Misakichi

by HA

Named after his Deus's older brother, Genji was a Speed-Type Angel dressed in samurai garb. The Deus did his best to copy exactly the topknot hairstyle. Armed with twin Impact Light katanas, Genji attacked his opponents with lightning speed, and after a few swipes of his swords, he would stand victorious while the other Angel lay at his feet. At least, that was how he was supposed to work.

Instead, Genji's Deus, a young boy, watched as his Angel, or rather, what was left of it, laid before the brutish shape that had managed to defeat him. "H-H-H-How...?"

"Pathetic," the thug in black said, grinning at his defeated opponent. "Your Angel didn't deserve to exist, and now you know why."

The young Deus cradled the remains of his Angel in his hands. "But...I was winning..."

"And you lost," the thug said. "Now get out of here before you're next, and if you try to play Angelic Layer again, you will be next!"

His opponent gasped and ran out of the dark alley the Fight had been conducted in. Behind him, the thug's laughter echoed into the night.

* * *

"Heh," the thug said as he picked up his massive Angel. "Brat didn't even stand a chance." 

"Perhaps you want a bigger challenge?"

The thug saw the girl dressed as a black cat with bat wings. "Tomie-sama!" he said, bowing his head.

"Good work," Tomie said. "I heard the little brat crying as he ran out of here." She sneered as she flexed her claws. "Another weak Angel eliminated and a Deus broken."

"It's what I do best, Tomie-sama," the thug said, petting his Angel. "You said something about a bigger challenge?"

"Indeed." Tomie took out a manila folder and tossed it to the thug. "All the information you need is in there."

The thug opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. His eyes widened at the picture. "Tomie-sama, you mean...?"

Tomie grinned. "I hope it won't be much of a problem for you."

The thug grinned back. "Not at all."

* * *

Misaki stretched and yawned as her alarm clock continued to ring. She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed to brush her teeth. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she sniffed the air. "Frying eggs?" she remarked as she got her clothes out. She usually made breakfast for her mother and aunt, and she wondered if one of them had decided to cook for once. 

She went downstairs after changing and made her way to the kitchen. "Naa?" she exclaimed at the sight before her.

Tora and Basho, the two boys she met yesterday, were standing in front of the stove. Both wore aprons and manned different burners.

"Good morning." Hikari waved at her from the table. A mug sat before her, and Misaki could smell freshly brewed coffee. Hikari sighed as she sipped from the mug.

"I don't think little girls should drink coffee." Misaki's aunt Shouko sipped from her own mug.

Hikari drank deeply from her mug. "Oh, I drink coffee now and then. I just need it now thanks to those two." She jabbed her thumb towards the two boys at the stove.

"I hope you like my breakfast for you," Basho said over the sizzling. "Fried fish and rice."

Tora snorted. "She won't want that. She'll want my bacon and eggs."

Basho glared at him. "She's Japanese, not American!"

Tora glared back. "Hey, I like bacon!"

Misaki watched as the boys yelled at each other. Even when they turned off their burners and moved their food off the stove, they continued arguing. Misaki opened her mouth to say something, but Hikari grumbled and rose from her seat and marched towards them. Soon their yells shifted moods; they went from expressing anger to expressing pain as Hikari pulled on their ears. From how loud the boys were yelling, Misaki guessed their ears were being pulled hard.

"Will you two stop arguing?" Hikari said in a deep voice.

The boys cried out in pain. "Yes, yes!"

Hikari withdrew her hands. "Well then, let's have some breakfast."

A moment later, Misaki stared at the food laid before her. She sniffed the air and inhaled the smell of fried bacon, fried and scrambled eggs, and fried fish. "It all looks so good."

"Thank you," both boys said. They shot each other a glance.

Shouko clapped her hands together. "All right, let's eat."

After a declaration of "Itadakimasu!", everyone dug in. Misaki chose food from both Tora and Basho's platters, and as she ate, she noticed both boys were watching her.

"It's funny," Shouko said after swallowing some rice. "I was seeing my sister off--she works at Piffle Princess, and she had to report in, so she was in a hurry--and I found these three standing at the door." She pointed her chopsticks to Tora and his friends. "They wanted to see you, and the boys here wanted to make breakfast for you."

Misaki looked up from her plate. "Mother needed to go to work?"

Shouko nodded and drank some coffee. "Something important. Don't know what. She just dashed out the door, although there's the usual reason for that," she said, smiling.

Misaki turned to her three visitors. "And you came over to make me breakfast?"

Hikari frowned. "They wanted to make you breakfast. I came along to try to talk them out of it. You see how well that worked out."

Tora tapped the edge of his plate. "So you like?"

Misaki swallowed another bite and nodded with a smile.

"What about my food?" Basho pointed to himself.

"Also good." Misaki helped herself to a strip of bacon and a fried fish.

Hikari shook her head. "Give up, you two."

"Hmm?" Misaki looked at her.

The other girl sighed and stirred her chopsticks through a puddle of egg yolk. "These two thought if they prepared breakfast for you and you liked what they prepared, you would make one of them your disciple."

"Really?"

Shouko blinked. "Disciple?"

The boys nodded to Misaki. "It's true," Tora said. He beamed. "So which one of us will be your disciple?"

"Well, it's gotta be me," Basho said with a grin. He pointed to a plate with three fish left. "The fried fish is mostly gone."

"We've been eating it, you know," Hikari said.

"Yeah, well, look at the bacon and eggs." Tora pointed to a small pile of scrambled eggs and a few strips of bacon.

Hikari groaned. "Same thing I told him," she said, jabbing her thumb towards Basho.

"All right then, it's up to taste!" Tora shot up from his seat. "Suzuhara, which of our food tasted the best?"

Hikari groaned, took off her glasses, and laid her head on the table. She massaged her temples. Misaki wondered if she was still tired.

"Suzuhara, you know my food was the best." Basho showed off a wide grin.

"No, mine was!" Tora snarled at his friend. "And it was good, very good."

Misaki stared at Hikari as the boys argued again. Now she was sure Hikari wasn't tired. At least, not that type of tired. She sighed and worked on finishing her food.

Shouko leaned in. "I think you'd better pick a disciple soon." She bit into a strip of bacon and chewed, the fried meat crunching between her teeth. "On the other hand, I wouldn't mind if they stopped by more often. Not as good as your cooking, but still good." She gave her niece a wink.

In the midst of two boys arguing over who should be her disciple, Misaki decided to have more scrambled egg with another strip of bacon and a fried fish. She chewed on the bacon and some fish and smiled. It was all good food.

* * *

"Tell me again why these guys are with us," Tamayo said, eyeing Tora and Basho. 

Misaki sighed. "They wanted to come with us, and I couldn't say no, especially after they made breakfast..."

Tamayo stopped walking. "What?" She stoped in front of the two younger boys. "You two made breakfast for Misakichi?" When both boys nodded, she turned to Koutarou, a grin crossing her face. She chuckled. "Well well, Koutarou-chan, it looks like you have not one, but two rivals in love!"

Misaki gasped as Tamayo trapped Koutarou in a headlock. He tried to talk, but only a few strangled gasps escaped his mouth. His face changed from normal skin tone to a rich red. "Tamayo-chan!" she exclaimed.

"You've got to toughen up," Tamayo said, ignoring the stares of passers-by as she tightened her grip. "You don't want to lose Misakichi, do ya?"

Koutarou responded with a gurgled gag. His face was turning a deeper red.

Hikari cleared her throat and pointed in front of them. "We're here."

Koutarou crashed onto the pavement below as Tamayo released him. Misaki rushed to his side and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

Koutarou gasped for air. He smiled at her. "I'm...all right."

Misaki looked towards their destination. A crown-shaped sign with "ANGELIC LAYER" with the familiar logo of Piffle Princess, a cute bear wearing a crown, stood over a glass double door with a winged egg design etched on its surface.

"Yes!" Tora pumped his fist into the air. "Today, I will begin my journey to become a great Deus under Suzuhara-senpai."

Basho appeared before him, his arms folded in front of him. "I don't think so. I'm going to be Suzuhara-senpai's disciple."

Misaki sighed as the two boys broke out into an argument. She had planned on hanging out with Koutarou and Tamayo all Sunday and get some practice time in with Hikaru. Then Tora and his friends showed up, and after breakfast, they insisted on tagging along. Shouko thought it was a good idea.

Screams of pain filled the air as Hikari tugged both her friends' ears. "Knock it off, or I'll really get mad," she said through clenched teeth.

After a flurry of apologies and pleas for mercy from the wannabe disciples, the group entered the training center. Tora and Basho rushed towards the check-in booth and dug into their pockets. Misaki walked past them and presented her Angel Card to the woman behind the counter. "Two hours, please."

Tora and Basho stared at her as the woman returned her card. The group made their way to a private Layer room. "You could've let us pay," Basho said as he shut the door.

"Oh, it's my treat," Misaki said. "I have a lot of points on my card, and you're my guests."

Tora grinned as he looked at the simple Layer in the middle of the room. "Let's get fighting!"

Misaki shook her head. "No fighting. Just practicing with your Angel."

Tora's shoulders slumped. "Awwwww."

Hikari patted his shoulder. "First learn how to use your Angel properly, then you can fight properly."

"But I was doing well in my Fight against Suzuhara-senpai."

"Yeah, but who lost?" Basho grinned at his friend.

Tora groaned. "Don't remind me."

"I'm willing to help you learn how to better control your Angel," Misaki said as she pulled Hikaru and her headset out of her backpack. She studied the headset. Aside from its lack of an Angel Cord, it looked the same. _Why would they want to create a headset that's not attached to the Layer? It's not like--_

"Senpai!"

Misaki blinked and turned to face everyone. Tora, Basho, and Hikari were holding their Angels, and they were already wearing their headsets.

Tora spoke again. "So, what should we do first?"

Misaki tapped her chin. "We should start with some simple movements."

"Good idea," Hikari said. "I haven't really gotten a chance to practice with Ririka yet. Been doing a lot of studying."

"Typical," Tora said.

The four Deuses threw their Angels onto the Layer. All four Angels landed on their feet, but Ririka started waving her arms in the air.

"Just focus on Ririka standing straight," Misaki said gently.

"I'm trying." Hikari frowned as her Angel stumbled back and forth. "I just can't...focus."

Ririka slipped, and she began to fall off the edge of the Layer. However, Zero caught her with both arms and straightened her up.

"Gotta be careful there," Tora said firmly.

"Um, thanks." Hikari's cheeks reddened, and she bowed her head.

Misaki started the practice session by telling the other Deuses to copy Hikaru's every move. She made her Angel stretch her arms up, and the other Angels stretched theirs. For every move Hikaru made, the other Angels copied it. Eventually the group danced on the Layer, and when Tamayo started clapping out a beat, they danced to that.

"I think I've got the hang of this," Hikari said as Ririka moved side to side while kicking as high as she could.

"I feel ridiculous," Tora said as Zero kicked as high as he could.

Misaki smiled. Nearby, Tamayo and Koutatou were cheering them on. Her gaze shifted to Koutarou, and her cheeks heated up when he looked back at her.

"Um, did you want us to do that too?" Hikari asked.

Misaki looked towards the Layer. Hikaru was alternating between doing backflips in place and jumping up and down with her arms stretched out. The other three Angels were copying her.

"Um, now I really feel ridiculous," Tora said.

Basho groaned. "My brain, my brain..."

Misaki gasped. "Okay, um, that's enough exercise for now."

"Heh heh." Tamayo sidled up to Koutarou. "Were you giving Misakichi lovey-dovey looks?"

Koutarou gulped and stared edging away from her. "Ummm..."

Tamayo's grin widened, and Koutarou didn't move in time to avoid her clothesline. A headlock later, she had him in a figure-four leglock. "You know if you wanna give Misakichi lovey-dovey looks, you have to get by me!" she said as she yanked his legs as far as she could.

"Naaaa!" Misaki cried out.

The Angel practice resumed after everyone made sure Koutarou was still alive. He watched the rest of the practice from a chair, where he gasped for air. Misaki demonstrated what Hikaru could do in the Layer. Tora and his friends ooohed and aaahed as Hikaru dashed from one end of the Layer to the other and punch and kick the air as fast as she could. Misaki kept herself from using the Impact Light Generator; she wanted the others to see her in action without enhancements. Once she was done, she had the new Deuses show off what their Angels could do. Tora had Zero fly around and dive towards the Layer. Basho had Baraxus flex his muscles and pose. Ririka stood in the middle of the Layer.

"I haven't really come up with any moves," Hikari said, her head bowed.

Misaki smiled. "Just have her move the way you want her to."

A minute later, Ririka was running laps around the Layer. She switched to cartwheels and did flips across the surface. Hikari laughed as her Angel kept moving.

Koutarou lifted his arm to point at the wall. "Time's almost up."

Misaki saw the time. "You're right. We should get going."

The four Deuses put away their Angels and headsets. The woman at the sign-in booth wished the group a good day as it exited the practice center.

"That was great exercise!" Tora declared, his fist high in the air. Then came a low growl.

Tamayo blinked. "What was that?"

Misaki searched for the source of the growling. Then she laid her eyes on Tora. "Um, I believe that's where it's coming from," she said, pointing to his stomach.

Tora's stomach growled again. He blushed a bright red and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Basho patted his stomach, which jiggled. "It has been a while since breakfast."

"Hmmm..." Koutarou rubbed his chin. "Any idea where we should eat?"

Tamayo grinned and leaned against him, her arm stretching across his shoulders. "In any case, Koutarou-chan's buying!"

He glared at her. "Say what?"

"I know the perfect place!" Tora waved his hand. Misaki looked in his direction, and he grinned. "And what luck, it's nearby."

Everyone followed Tora to a restaurant located on the corner of the nearby street. Misaki knew what was being sold there due to the giant plastic burger sign hanging over the door. A pink creature with a heart-shaped head and wings leaned against the burger, a red heart prominent on the creature's chest. The restaurant's name stood out below the sign in kanji, katakana, and English characters. "The Amor Burger Stop," she read to herself.

Tora opened the glass door for her. "Come on, come on!" He waved everyone towards the entrance, a wide grin crossing his face.

The smell of flame-broiled burgers and deep-fried potatoes whaffed through Misaki's nose. The interior was spacious and a sparkling white with pictures of the winged creature posted and painted on the walls. A good-sized number of customers stood at the main counter, where employees in red and white uniforms took orders from their cash registers. Red tables and booths lined the sides and middle, and they were full of people enjoying a burger, fries, or other fast food dish. What struck her as odd was that some were wearing costumes. She recognized a few from anime, manga, and tokusatsu, but most of them were original creations. She couldn't help but remember Commander Dragon in his cape and helmet.

"You'd have to pick this place, wouldn't you?" Basho said.

A woman in a red and white uniform covered by a white apron approached them. A red cap with a burger sat atop her hair, which was tied into a bun. She bowed towards Misaki and the others. "Good afternoon. Welcome to the Amor Burger Stop." She lifted her head, then stared at Tora. "Hello, Tora-chan."

Tora groaned. "I thought I told you to never call me that. Ever."

The woman winked at him. "Funny, I don't remember ever agreeing to that." She grinned, then shifted her focus to Misaki and the others. "Ah, I see you found a new girlfriend."

Tora's face flushed. "It's...it's nothing like that!" He gestured towards the woman. "Suzuhara-senpai, my older sister Kaida." He gestured towards Misaki. "Onechan, Suzuhara Misaki-senpai."

"Nice to meet you." Misaki stood aside, and her two friends stepped forward and introduced themselves.

"Nice to meet you." Kaida kept wearing her smile. "I've heard a lot about you. I follow Angelic Layer." She turned to her little brother. "Do you want your usual booth, Tora-chan?"

Tora grinded his teeth together and raised his fists. "Yes, please," he said after a moment of glaring. He lowered his fists.

As Kaida led the way to a booth in the corner, Misaki noticed how as she passed by, people stopped talking. Some looked up from their meals and stared at her. She also noticed some of them possessed Angels and the new type of headset. As soon as she passed them, she heard whispering. Her ears picked up her name being muttered.

"Why are some people wearing costumes?" Tamayo asked as everyone settled into the booth. She sat between Koutarou and Misaki and flashed a grin at both of them.

"Cosplayers have always come here," Kaida said. "Also players of Angelic Layer. Recently, we've been getting players who dress up."

"Why do they do that?" Misaki asked as she studied the various costumed people.

"Oh, some people wear costumes because they love dressing up as superbeings," Kaida said. "I think others do it to disguise themselves since they are playing with dolls." She rubbed her chin and looked towards the ceiling. "Come to think of it, I'm surprised you don't wear a costume, Tora-chan."

Tora growled and slumped into his seat. Hikari shook her head, her mouth forming a small smile. Basho stared at Kaida, his cheeks turning a light red.

"So, do you want me to place an order for you as usual, or are you going to actually join the line, Tora-chan?" the elder Hibiki sibling asked, pointing towards the line of customers at the counter.

Tora crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, leaning further into his seat. Muttering to himself, he rose to his feet and exited the booth. He sighed. "So what do you want?"

Hikari and Basho asked for their usual orders. Misaki asked what would be the best meal to order for a first time customer. Kaida recommended the Amor Burger meal, and Misaki ordered that after hearing it being described. Tamayo and Koutarou ordered the same item, and Tora marched off to the line, which was thinning quickly.

"So you're Tora-chan's new friends, huh?" Kaida stood next to Misaki's side of the booth. "He talks a lot about you, Suzuhara-san. He told me what he'd be doing at your house."

Hikari almost jumped out of her seat. "Um, yes, yes he does." She coughed, her fist covering her mouth. "Keeps going on about how he wants to be the best Deus and having to beat the best, that's all."

Kaida laughed. "Yep, that's him. He rarely shows any energy except for when it comes to Angelic Layer."

"Gotta agree with you there," Basho said.

Kaida grinned. "Well, there is one other thing that he gets excited about." Before she could say any more, Tora came back with a small plastic sign.

"We're order number 45," he said as he returned to his seat. He placed the sign next to the edge of the table.

"My oh my." Kaida giggled. "Did you actually pay for the food?" She smiled. "There goes most of your weekly allowance, then."

Tora frowned. "Shouldn't you be helping out the other customers?" he said to his sister. "You don't want ojisan on your case."

Still grinning, Kaida ran her head through Tora's hair. "I'll bring you guys your order. See you later, Tora-chan."

Tora growled in his sister's direction. He sank into his seat, his arms folded in front of him.

"Ojisan?" Misaki said.

"Tora's uncle owns this restaurant," Hikari said. "His sister works here."

Misaki looked around her. Some of the other diners were glancing in her direction. She turned to the others. "So is the food good here?"

"I've found it rather delicious so far."

"Naaaaaa!" Misaki saw Chiaki standing next to her. The other girl smiled at her, an open box of chicken nuggets sitting on one hand and the other holding a chicken nugget with a bite in its side.

Tamayo blinked. "How do you do that?"

Chiaki bit into the nugget and swallowed. "Do what?" she asked as she reached for another.

"Would you like to sit down with us?" Misaki asked.

Chiaki shook her head. "Oh, I'm all right. I just wanted to stop by and say hello." She smiled and waved a little at them before walking away. She had barely left the area when she turned to Misaki. "Oh, and one more thing, Suzuhara-san."

"Hm?"

"Be careful."

Everyone watched as Chiaki sat at a table by herself. "Does anyone else think she's a weird girl?" Tora said.

However, before someone could answer, Kaida came with their food laid out on a plastic tray. She left them to their lunch after teasing her brother and retrieving the sign, and no one spoke as paper wrappers were opened and sandwiches bitten into. Hikari popped open her plastic container full of salad and speared a lettuce leaf with her fork.

"Delicious!" Misaki said after taking a bite out of her burger.

Koutarou chewed on a fry. "Hmmm...tastes different than other fries I've had before."

"Ojisan uses only freshly peeled potatoes for his fries. Never frozen," Tora said, wagging his finger. "Same for the beef. Ojisan doesn't like frozen burgers."

Basho swallowed a big bite of beef patty and bread. "So, Suzuhara-senpai, who was the best at practice today?"

As Tora started to declare loudly he was the best, Misaki began scanning the restaurant's interior. She spotted Sai and Kaede with a group of boys at the front door. All of them were holding Angels and headsets except one. They were engaged in conversation, although the Angel-less boy kept his head bowed. He was slouching as he walked towards an empty table with his friends. The two high school girls walked towards Misaki's table. Kaede waved at Misaki. Sai nodded in her direction.

"Oh great, her." Basho glared at Sai.

"Good afternoon," Misaki said. "You came here to get lunch too?"

Sai nodded. "Unfortunately, something I've just learned may have made me lose my appetite."

"What would that be?" Tamayo asked, looking up from her fries.

Kaede looked towards the boy, whose friends were now trying to talk to him. "His Angel was destroyed last night."

Tora dropped his half-eaten burger onto the napkin in front of him. "Wh-wh-what?"

"How?" Basho asked.

Sai still looked at boy as she spoke. "Someone challenged him to a Fight, and his Angel was ripped apart."

Misaki gasped. "Who would do such a thing?"

"I'm not sure, but there have been reports of Angels being destroyed in Fights, and...Suzuhara?"

Misaki rose from her seat and walked towards the boy, who was staring at the table. The other diners whispered amongst themselves. Kaede and Sai appeared next to her when she stood before him.

"Um, excuse me," Misaki began as the others joined her. "I heard about what happened."

The boy lifted his head and gasped. "You're...you're Suzuhara Misaki-san."

His friends stared at her, which made her blush. "Um, yes, yes I am."

"Heh, it's good to be the Angelic Layer Champion," Tamayo said, slapping Misaki hard on the back. Misaki waved her arms in the air until she regained her balance.

"You're the reason why I wanted to play Angelic Layer." The boy bowed his head. "Now I want to quit."

"Don't say that!" one of the other boys said.

"I'm just not good enough." The boy sniffled and wiped away a tear. "If I had been any good, Genji wouldn't be in pieces right now."

Misaki cleared her throat. "So what happened?" she asked gently.

The boy swallowed loudly. "I was walking home last night when some big guy challenged me to an Angelic Fight. I thought I could take him, but his Angel was too strong."

A boy in a cape at another table rose from his seat. "The same thing happened to me. My Monjiro lost his arms."

A girl at a booth stood up. "My Brittany was almost torn to shreds. It'll take a lot of work to fix her."

More Deuses stood up and said their Angels were destroyed or almost destroyed. Misaki couldn't believe the large number of people standing.

"That's odd."

Everyone stared at Chiaki when she appeared next to Misaki. Only Sai didn't jump in place.

"Stop doing that!" Tora said, clutching his chest.

"How can you conduct a Fight without a Layer?" Chiaki asked. "You need a Layer, or your Angel wouldn't work." She looked around the restaurant. "How did any of you have a Fight?"

Then the door opened, and silence filled the room. All eyes focused on the latest newcomer.

Misaki noticed three things about the man who had entered. The first was his body was covered from heat to toe. A gray trenchcoat covered most of him with a matching hat that sat atop his head. The second was his eyes were covered by a pair of shades. The third was his head nearly touched the top of the door frame.

"Ah, I see some familiar faces here," he said with a smirk. "How nice."

The boy shook in his seat. "Th-th-that's him," he said, pointing a trembling finger at the man.

The gray man chuckled. "Ah, my last victim. Good to see you again."

Misaki gulped loudly, but she resolved to stand firm. "You're the one who destroyed his Angel?"

The gray man turned towards her. "Ah, Suzuhara Misaki, currently considered the best Deus in the world"--he flashed a grin--"and my next target!"

Misaki's eyes widened. "Naaaaaa?"

"Hold on!" Tamayo stood before her friend. "You got a problem with her, you got a problem with me, got it?" She shook her fist at him.

Misaki stood in front of her friend, her arms waving franctically in the air. "T-T-Tamayo-chan, he's a lot bigger than you!"

Koutarou stayed next to Misaki. Tora and Basho stepped forward. "What do you want?" Tora asked.

"It's simple, really." The gray man pointed to Misaki. "I wish for my Angel to fight her Angel."

"Over our dead bodies," Basho said.

"Don't push your luck, kid." The gray man looked past Misaki's shield of friends. "Are you going to hide from me, Suzuhara?"

Sai frowned. "So you've been going around destroying Angels, huh?" She stepped forward. "Care to take on Shirahime?"

The gray man chuckled. "Sorry, but my orders are to fight Hikaru, but when I'm done disposing of her, I'll be glad to break your Angel into pieces."

"But you're not supposed to destroy your opponent's Angels," Kaede said.

"Heh." The gray man smirked. "We're doing everyone a favor by throwing out the trash."

Misaki pushed her way past her friends. "Trash?"

"Yes, trash. That's all your Angels are compared to ours--trash. We're just putting them where they belong."

"'We'?" Hikari said. "Who are you?"

"Yes, who are you working for?" Sai asked.

"Enough talk!" The gray man snarled. "Are you going to be a champion and fight me, Suzuhara, or will you be a coward?"

"Don't do it," the boy said. "His Angel's too powerful, and--"

"Silence, trash!"

The boy sunk into his seat. His efforts to suppress the chattering of his teeth proved to be futile.

Misaki returned to the booth and came back with Hikaru and her headset. "Where can we fight?"

"Suzuhara-san." Sai stood next to her. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Misaki nodded. "He destroyed someone's Angel, and he made him cry." She glanced at the boy. "I can't let this man get away with it."

"But we don't know what his Angel's capable of," Koutarou said.

Misaki faced the gray man. "So where will we fight?"

He grinned. "Over there will do nicely." He pointed to the large area next to the soda dispenser machines.

Tamayo blinked. "But there's no Layer there."

The gray man snickered. "What small-minded fools." He pulled out a disk from the inside of his coat. "Moblie Layer, activate!" He threw the disk like a Frisbee, and to everyone else's amazement, it stopped, and a tripod shot out from its botton and anchored it to the floor. The disk spun in place.

Misaki stared at the sight. "But how...?"

"Come."

Misaki followed the gray man to where the disk was spinning. She followed his example and stood a good distance from the disk. She recognized the distance between them being equal to the size of a standard Layer.

The gray man donned an Angelic Layer headset. Misaki noticed it was different from hers. For one thing, his was black. Bat wings replaced the usual wings on the earpieces.

"Now, for an environment that'll best suit this Fight," he said, snapping his fingers.

The disk hummed and flashed, and Misaki found herself standing before a desert. A bright sun shone over the field. A cactus or two stood on some parts of the sand. She noticed the bleached skull of a horse in one corner. She recalled the holographic Layer used in the regional and national tournaments. The environments created by that were realistic, but she couldn't help but think the one she was standing before was even more realistic than those. For one thing, she felt the heat of the desert sun and the desert wind blowing towards her.

"What the heck's going on?" Tora said.

"Interesting," Chiaki said. "The field is entirely made of Impact Light."

"What?" Tamayo's eyes bugged out at the sight. "You mean they're standing on what the new weapons use?"

"Looks that way," Koutarou said.

Tamayo blinked. "But it looks solid and realistic."

Sai frowned. "I don't like this."

Kaede tapped her chin. "The field is rather high off the ground."

As she donned her headset, Misaki noticed everyone gathering around her and her opponent. The gray man grinned. "Ah, I love this. A crowd to witness the end of Hikaru."

"Hikaru won't lose!" Misaki held out her Angel and eyed the sand. A tumbleweed rolled across the middle of the Layer.

"We'll see, Suzuhara." The gray man grinned. "We'll see."

Misaki took a cleansing breath. "Wings of an Angel! Please guide me and Hikaru! Hikaru, fall in!" She threw Hikaru into the Layer, and she landed on her feet. She sunk slightly into the sand.

"Ah, the famous Hikaru." The gray man sneered. "Prepare to be crushed. Deathpincer, fall in!"

He threw something into the Layer, and when it landed, it shook the ground, causing Hikaru to almost lose her balance. Misaki steadied her, and when she saw her opponent's Angel, she gasped.


	4. DG Stands For

Disclaimer: Angelic Layer is the creation of CLAMP. Any non-canon characters belong to me. Got that? ;o)

Dedicated to Firebird/Shutsumon and Phoenix from CCU, who never did get back to his AL fic :o) This is for you, guys.

Oh yeah, and Firebird/Shutsumon, thanks for coming up with something better for "DG" to stand for. I really appreciate it.

Angelic Layer Neo: Tokyo

Chapter 4: DG Stands For...

by HA

Misaki wasn't sure if Deathpincer was an Angel. It wasn't humanoid in shape. She recalled that some of the newer Angel designs weren't human--some had a robot motif--but they still had a human shape. The purple monster in the Layer resembled a crab and towered over Hikaru; Misaki estimated it was twice the size of her Angel. It sported two large claws and legs with rear-facing knee joints. It stared at Hikaru with a single red eye, its claws snapping open and shut.

"What is that?" Tamayo said.

Sai stared at the gray man's Angel. Her eyes narrowed at the sight. "That isn't an Angel," she said, her teeth clenched.

The gray man smirked. "You're right, it isn't. It's a Demon." In the Layer, Deathpincer continued opening and closing its claws.

"A...Demon?" Koutarou frowned.

"Looks like a heavily modified Angel to me." Tamayo growled and pointed an accusing finger at the man. "How'd you do it?"

The gray man chuckled. "Sorry, that's our secret." He snapped his fingers, and a display screen appeared above the Layer. It showed damage meters for Hikaru and the crab-like Demon and a timer set at ten minutes. "It won't take ten minutes to finish you off, but we might as well go with standard time."

"Suzuhara-senpai will kick your butt!" Tora said.

"He should know," Basho said, which earned him a glare and snarl from his friend.

Misaki spotted a symbol on Deathpincer's shell, a red pentagon with the letters D and G done in silver jagged font. "DG? What's that?"

"Your end, Suzuhara," the gray man said.

The crowd made its choice for the winner known.

"Beat him, Suzuhara!"

"Yeah, show him what a true Angel can do!"

"Go, Hikaru!"

Misaki nodded to everyone. "Thank you." She faced her opponent. "Shall we start?"

"Gladly." The gray man pointed at Hikaru. "Deathpincer, attack!"

Missile launchers sprung out from the purple Demon's shell and opened fire. Red projectiles dashed towards Hikaru and exploded before she could move. She crashed onto the sand, and Misaki noted the amount of damage inflicted onto her Angel.

"Hikaru!" she shouted.

Hikaru rose shakily to her feet and looked around the field. Her opponent was gone.

"Huh, what?" Misaki studied the Layer. "Where's...?"

"Look out, Hikaru!"

The spectator's warning came too late as Hikaru was knocked over. As she fell, her Deus saw a sizable bump under the sand moving away from her. Hikaru sprang up from where she fell.

"Hikaru, go after--!"

Red Impact Light projectiles shot out of the corner of the Layer. Hikaru barely got out of the way as the missiles rained onto where she once stood. The red explosion sent her flying towards the edge of the Layer. Misaki gasped as Hikaru was about to fall out. Then a giant purple claw shot out of the ground and caught Hikaru. The rest of Deathpincer surfaced, and the massive Demon began crushing its opponent.

The gray man chuckled. "Now now, why have you lose to a Layer Out right now?" He grinned. "I want you to suffer more. Let's see if Hikaru can get out of this."

Deathpincer squeezed Hikaru's abdomen. Misaki winced as she heard a small cracking sound. Hikaru's arms and legs waved wildly in the air. Her Deus frowned, for Hikaru couldn't hit any part of her opponent's body.

_There must be something I can do!_ Misaki felt her heart beating against her chest. The cracking became louder. The crab-like Demon was covered in armor; Misaki couldn't see any weak spots. Then Deathpincer held Hikaru before its eye, and she saw a chance. _There!_

Hikaru swung one leg and struck Deathpincer in the eye. The giant Demon opened its claw and waved its arms in the air. Hikaru landed onto the ground, sending sand flying away in all directions.

The gray man snarled as Deathpincer's damage meter went down a notch. "A lucky hit."

The crowd cheered. "That's it, Misakichi!" Tamayo shouted.

Hikaru got to her feet as Deathpincer dove into the sand. Misaki listened closely as she scanned the field. Hikaru stayed in place, her fists in front of her.

Misaki spotted the fast-moving bump speeding towards Hikaru. _Now!_

Hikaru jumped as high as she could, and the bump sped through. Misaki searched the field for the enemy Demon. Then a barrage of Impact Light missiles flew towards Hikaru and blasted her out of the sky. She crashed and slid, sending sand flying in all directions. Just when she came to a complete stop, a purple claw punched out of the ground under her, and she landed face first into the sand.

"Hikaru!"

The purple claw sunk into the sand. Just as Hikaru got to her feet, two Impact Light missiles struck her from behind. Misaki screamed the name of her Angel as she crashed to the sand.

The gray man laughed. "Feel the power of DG!"

* * *

Tora snarled at the gray man. "Why that...?" He marched towards him.

Hikari grabbed his shoulder. "Are you crazy? He's bigger than you."

Tora winced. "Doesn't matter. That jerk can't get away with doing that to Hikaru..."

"Come over if you dare, little boy," the gray man said, motioning for him to come closer.

Tora broke free of his friend's grip and ran towards the gray man. Seconds later, he bounced off an unseen surface. He felt a pair of hands catch him. When he turned around, he found himself facing Sai.

"It's impolite to interrupt a Fight no matter how rude the person is," she said as she let him stand on his own.

The gray man's laughter echoed throughout the restaurant. "You are an idiot. Once the Moblie Layer is activated, no outsider can come in." He sneered. "Another example of DG's superiority to you all."

Basho stepped forward, his hands curled into fists. "DG this, DG that! What the heck is DG?"

The gray man chuckled. "Perhaps after I finish off Hikaru, I'll let you know first hand."

The crowd vented their displeasure at the gray man. He seemed to ignore their boos and jeers. In the Layer, Hikaru dodged something that was dashing across the field and Impact Light missiles.

"Not good." Koutarou frowned. "Hikaru is at a total disadvantage."

"It's not fair!" Tamayo clenched her hand into a fist so tightly that it turned red. "That gray guy's had the advantage from the start!"

"Um, I think that was the point," Basho said.

Kaede nodded. "The Layer is his to choose. His Angel is adept at moving underground, so the desert field suits it well."

"That's right." The boy Misaki talked to appeared next to them. "That's how he beat me. Genji tried his best, but he got ripped to pieces."

"No wonder his opponents are unable to beat him." Sai's eyes narrowed.

"Hey!" Tora glared at the veteran Deus, his fist raised. "Are you saying Suzuhara-senpai will lose?"

Sai shook her head. "She won't give up no matter how stacked the odds are against her." A faint smile crossed her face. "That's what I like about her."

"Well, from what's I'm standing, that Deathpincer monster is clobbering Hikaru," Tamayo said, pointing to the display screen. Deathpincer had less damage than Hikaru, and the clock was running down towards the end. "Time's running out, Misakichi! Do something!"

"Like what?" Koutarou said. "Hikaru's too light to damage that armored monster, and it keeps hiding in the sand, so she can't counterattack properly."

The boy groaned. "It's hopeless."

"At least we know the eye's the only vulnerable spot Deathpincer has," Hikari said, "and it is slow."

"That's not gonna help if Misakichi can't hit it!" Tamayo said.

"Don't yell at her!" Tora said.

"There is another weakness," Chiaki said softly.

Everyone close to her stared at her. "Come again?" Tamayo said.

"Weakness?" Tora frowned. "What other weakness?"

"There is no other weakness," the boy said. "Hikaru will lose. No one can beat Deathpincer."

Chiaki smiled. "Suzuhara-san will find a way."

"What makes you say that?" Tamayo said.

"Because she is Suzuhara-san."

* * *

Misaki winced as Hikaru was knocked to the ground by the speeding bump once again. She barely got out of the way of the incoming missiles. Misaki had Hikaru stand in the middle of the Layer and waited for the next attack to come.

"What's wrong, Suzuhara?" the gray man asked. "Are you running out of options?"

The crowd booed. Misaki spotted a bump speeding towards Hikaru. It managed to brush the underside of Hikaru's foot, causing her to slip and fall. Only a cartwheel away from the spot saved her from a rain of Impact Light missiles.

Misaki assessed the situation. Hikaru was badly damaged. Deathpincer had most of its damage meter. The Fight clock was counting down to the last three minutes. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.

_How can I beat something I can't see? I know the eye's its weakness, but it keeps moving under the sand._ Misaki had Hikaru return to the middle of the Layer. _And those missile attacks are taking a lot out of Hikaru. I can't keep dodging forever, and if I don't damage Deathpincer enough, I'll lose._

"Pondering if you should give up, Suzuhara?" the gray man asked. "If you do decide to surrender, I may let Hikaru off with a torn arm instead of ripping her to pieces."

Misaki ignored her opponent. _Hikaru's too light to knock Deathpincer out of the Layer. That's a definite._ She closed her eyes. _I've got to do something!_ Everyone's counting on me. She opened her eyes and glanced at the boy. His downcast eyes and frown told her a lot.

"Well, Suzuhara. Do you surrender?" the gray man asked.

Misaki fixed her gaze upon her opponent. "I won't give up."

The gray man shrugged. "Suit yourself. Deathpincer, finish off Hikaru!"

Hikaru stayed in the middle of the Layer. Misaki frowned. If Deathpincer didn't knock her over with its underground charges, then its Impact Light missiles would finish her off. She needed to be on the offensive and score some big hits, but her target wouldn't surface. Hikaru sidestepped an incoming bump and a pair of Impact Light missiles.

"Suzuhara!"

Misaki froze. She had never known Sai the Ice Machine to be emotional, but her voice was spiced with it.

"Defeat that monster. Do you hear me, Suzuhara? Defeat that monster!"

The gray man laughed loudly. "Bold words, but I don't think she can defeat my Deathpincer."

Hikaru backflipped over a speeding bump and cartwheeled away from a rain of Impact Light missiles. Then Misaki smiled.

"Huh, what's this?" the gray man said. "Why are you smiling?"

Misaki kept smiling, but her eyes were fixed onto the Layer. Hikaru stayed in place.

"Stop that smiling!"

"Ready, Hikaru?"

The gray man snarled. "Attack!"

Misaki spotted the incoming bump. "Do it, Hikaru!"

Hikaru reached in front of her and thrust her arm before the bump. It stopped.

"Huh? What's going on?" Tamayo said.

Seconds later, Hikaru yanked something purple out of the sand. It could've been an exact miniature copy of Deathpincer if it didn't have sickle-shaped claws, four pairs of legs, and a pair of cannons strapped onto its back. Hikaru lifted it over her head while it kicked skyward with its eight legs.

The crowd made its feelings known.

"Cheater!" one boy said to the gray man.

"That's how he was doing it," a girl said.

"Beat him, Suzuhara!"

The gray man snarled, shaking his clenched fist. "You may have figured out my strategy, but it won't save you."

Hikaru threw the mini-crab behind her. It struck another incoming bump, and the sand shot up, revealing another mini-crab. Both crashed onto the sand and laid on their backs, waving their arms and kicking their legs helplessly in the air.

* * *

"All right, Suzuhara!" a girl behind Tora said.

Tora blinked. "Okay, what's going on?"

Hikari rubbed her chin. "From what I can tell, Deathpincer was using those two crab drones to attack Hikaru using quick dashes and missile attacks."

"Um, doesn't that count as cheating?" Basho asked.

"Not really," Kaede said. "The new rules allow mobile weapons, but you have to let you opponent know first."

"So he was cheating just in not letting Suzuhara-senpai about the mini-crabs."

Kaede nodded. "Exactly."

"Unforgivable," Sai said, her arms folded over her chest.

"But how did Misakichi figure it out?" Tamayo asked.

"The mini-crabs have two single shot cannons," Koutarou said. "Deathpincer's missile launchers fire multiple rounds."

"Ah." Hikari snapped her fingers. "Suzuhara-senpai noticed how the attacks were different. Sometimes the shots came in pairs, sometimes in a single multiple attack."

"And those crabs look light," Sai said. "She must've noticed how Hikaru was struck from below from them and Deathpincer."

"Indeed. Also, it must take a while for the projectile weapons, especially the missile launchers, to recharge for another volley," Kaede said.

"Hence the breaks between blasts and underground attacks," Hikari said.

Sai turned to Basho. "See the problem of relying too much on gimmicks?"

Basho frowned at her.

The boy blinked. "Then...Hikaru still has a chance?"

"As long as an Angel is still able to move, there's always a chance."

Tamayo pumped her fist towards the ceiling. "Misakichi, send that monster back to hell!"

* * *

Misaki faced her opponent and steeled herself. "Your trick won't work any more. Why don't you just have Deathpincer fight me face to face?"

"Grrrrrr...Deathpincer, surface now!"

Deathpincer obeyed its Deus's command, but by the time it shot out from the sand, Hikaru had backflipped towards the fallen mini-crabs. Its claw swung and missed the Angel by a few centimeters. As Hikaru landed, she kicked one mini-crab towards Deathpincer. It struck the monstrous Angel's eye, causing Deathpincer to stagger back. Its damage meter displayed a significant amount of loss.

"Errgh!" the gray man said through clenched teeth. He swept his arm through the air. "Fire! Wipe out that miserable Angel for DG. Fire!"

Deathpincer's missile launchers sprung out of its shell and opened fire. Explosions surrounded Hikaru, throwing sand into the sky. The crowd waited for the sand to clear.

The gray man laughed. "You see, that's what you get for standing up to us. No one can stop us. Not even..." He gasped, his jaw about to hit the floor.

The second mini-crab floated above the sand, its shell showing where the Impact Light missiles had struck. Then it moved aside, showing Hikaru holding it by its underside.

"All right, Misakichi!" Tamayo said.

Hikaru threw the mini-crab at Deathpincer. The monstrous Angel swatted it aside with one swing of its massive claw, but Hikaru was already standing before it. She punched its exposed eye, and it staggered back. Then she swung her leg at one of its knee joints. Deathpincer waved its arms wildly, and when it finally took a swing at Hikaru, she leapt away from its claw and kicked the other knee joint.

"What?" The gray man stared at his Angel. "Deathpincer can't move its legs?"

Deathpincer swung both its claws at Hikaru, but the Speed-Type Angel dashed out of range.

"Now Hikaru!" Misaki said.

"Deathpincer, counterattack!"

Deathpincer's launchers sprung out again. A pink energy ball formed between Hikaru's hands. As Deathpincer waved its claws, its launchers glowing, Hikaru unleashed a blast towards its eye. The attack hit its target, and Deathpincer crashed into the sand, its damage meter emptying with a beep.

"No!" the gray man said.

Cheers filled the air. Misaki breathed a sigh of relief as the desert field vanished. She stretched out her arms to catch Hikaru before she hit the ground. Deathpincer and the mini-crabs hit the floor hard, yet they remained intact. The gray man scooped them into his hands.

Misaki gasped as all the spectators crowded around her, praising her for her win. Tamayo grabbed her from behind and hugged her as hard as she could.

"Way to go, Misakichi!" she said, hugging her friend close.

Misaki gasped for air, and she breathed a sigh of relief when Tamayo released her hold on her. Tora and his friends were next to congratulate her. Kaede beamed while Sai managed a small smile.

"Well, Suzuhara, you used Athena's move twice now, right?"

Misaki blinked at Sai's question. "Yes, yes I did."

Chiaki gestured towards the boy. "He has something to say to you, I believe."

The boy nodded and stared at the floor. He shook as he spoke. "Suzuhara-san, you...you fought well today..." He clasped his hands together and cleared his throat as his friends joined him. As he spoke, he lifted his head slowly. "You weren't scared of that guy, you didn't give up even when the odds were against you..." He swallowed loudly. "I swear to you, I'll fix Genji and keep on playing Angelic Layer just like you."

One of the boy's friends slapped his shoulder. Everyone else applauded.

"You inspire us all, Suzuhara-san," Chiaki said.

Misaki blushed at all the attention she was getting. She smiled as she held Hikaru up to her face. "Thank you," she told her Angel.

"Gah!"

Misaki's ears heard a small hissing sound, and she saw the flash of light coming from the gray man's hands in time. He watched as Deathpincer and the mini-crabs, or what was left of them, tumbled out of his hands. An arm bounced towards the crowd and stopped against Tora's foot.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Tora asked.

"That is what happens to Demons that fail us."

Misaki turned to the restaurant door. A girl stood there with four young men. A mask with pointed ears covered the upper half of her head, and a pair of bat wings stuck out from her back. Her outfit bared her abdomen. The men were wearing black shades, black berets, black T-shirts, and black pants. They stood at attention, their backs straight and their gloved hands at their sides.

The gray man faced them and bowed. "Tomie-sama, I tried, but she..."

The girl held up a fingerless-gloved hand. "You said you could take care of the Miracle Deus and her little Angel." She frowned. "Looks like you were wrong."

"Tomie-sama--"

"Spare me your excuses right now, failure." She jabbed her thumb towards the door. "You can give them later at headquarters."

His head still down, the gray man started towards the door. The girl held up her hand.

"Gather what's left of your Demon first," she said. "Leave nothing, or else."

The gray man nodded and picked up Deathpincer's remains. With them gathered in his arms, he made his way to the door and stood next to the men in black, his head still bowed.

"My, what a Fight that was, eh, Suzuhara?" the girl said. "I actually thought Deathpincer would destroy Hikaru, but alas, I was wrong."

"Who are you?" Tora asked with a frown.

The girl grinned. "My name is Tomie."

"Are you with DG?" Koutarou asked.

Tamayo stood next to him, her fists in front of her. "Yeah, are you with those DG jerks?"

Tomie nodded. "That is correct. I am with DG."

Sai stepped forward. "So you're responsible for that...that thing?" She pointed towards the remains of Deathpincer lying in its Deus's arms.

Tomie sneered. "Is there something wrong, Jounouchi?"

Sai narrowed her eyes at her. "That thing was not an Angel."

"Of course it wasn't. It's a Demon." Tomie crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Demons are far superior to your Angels."

"Your Demon is nothing more than a modified Angel."

"It's still superior." Tomie frowned at what was left of Deathpincer and its mobile weapons. "Well, it was."

Sai took a deep breath. "Angels are supposed to be graceful and are born of our dreams." Her hands tightened into fists, and they trembled as she spoke. "What you create are monsters from nightmares."

Tomie chuckled, her mouth forming a grin that struck Misaki as unpleasant. "We're not afraid to experiment with our Demons. Besides, the human shape is rather dull, don't you think?"

"What are you guys up to?" Basho asked.

"It's quite simple, really." Tomie placed a hand on her hip. "We in DG wish to eliminate the trash known as your so-called Angels."

Misaki hugged Hikaru to her chest. "Our Angels--trash?"

"Let's face it, Suzuhara, you only got lucky against this fool." Tomie nodded towards the gray man. "And need I remind the rest of you that our Demons have been tearing yours apart?"

"Hikaru still kicked Deathpincer's butt!" Basho said. The others voiced their agreement.

Tomie wagged a finger at them. "Such bravery, yet I see only one person who has defeated one of our Angels, and I doubt any of you can follow her example."

Tora snarled and step forward. "You want to be next? Zero and I can beat whatever monster you bring out."

Tomie chuckled, her mouth curling upward into a grin. "Sorry, little boy. Much as I would love to tear your pitiful excuse for an Angel into scrap, but I just came here to see if Hikaru was destroyed." She sighed and shook her head. "What a setback, but we'll bounce back. One victory for your side doesn't mean you've won the war."

"War?" Misaki held Hikaru closer to her. "You see Angelic Layer as a war?"

"But of course it's a war. It's our Demons against your trash, and we have the technological edge. You've seen our Mobile Layers and our Demons. What makes you think you can defeat us?"

Misaki stared at Tomie. She imagined the girl's eyes behind the opaque white eyes of her mask as being filled with hatred. She stood up straight. "Because I won't give up. Hikaru and I won't give up."

Tomie clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side, leaning it against her raised hands. "Awwww, how cute, the little girl wants to fight us." The men behind her laughed until she raised a hand to them. "Such a fighting spirit. We in DG will enjoy extinguishing it." She sneered. "That goes for all of you as well."

Misaki thought she was looking at her, but she followed the other's gaze and saw it aimed at Sai. The older Deus glared back.

"Your so-called technological advancements don't give you an automatic edge over our Angels," she said slowly, her hand alternating between an open palm and a fist. "It is the Deus that determines victory or defeat. The Deus's belief in their Angel--that is the deciding factor."

"Oh, I see." Tomie snapped her fingers and turned to her underlings. "Bring me my Demon. Now."

One of the men stepped forward. "But Tomie-sama, our orders are to cease all Fights for today and report in. We shouldn't--"

"Fetch me my Demon now!"

The man trembled, his teeth chattering. He looked from his superior to the door and back again.

Tomie faced Sai. "I've been looking forward to tearing Shirahime apart for quite some time now."

"Oh really?" Sai said.

"There will be no dishonorable Fights in this sacred house of beef, chicken, potato, and bread!"

Everyone noticed the man in the brown suit. It was hard to miss him since his suit could barely hold his bulging muscular frame. A curled mustache covered his upper lip while a tuft of hair barely covered the top of his head. Kaida stood next to him. She was a third his size.

"Now now, ojisan," she said, patting him on the arm.

The man pointed a thick finger at Tomie. "You and your bullies are not welcome here if you're going to destroy people's dreams and deprive them of enjoying the wonders of beef, chicken, potato, and bread!" He began marching towards them. "Unless you'd like for me to call the police..."

Tomie didn't move as the man-mountain approached her. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Hmph. We're out of here."

"Yes, Tomie-sama," one of the men said.

The men filed out of the restaurant, the gray man being last. He held the door open, his head still bowed. Tomie turned to leave, her long black hair sweeping the air.

"Wait," Misaki said.

Tomie stood before the door. "What is it?"

"DG." Misaki stared at the girl in black. "What does that stand for?"

Tomie chuckled and gave Misaki a sideways glance and a grin. "Demon's Game," she said before walking out the door.

* * *

The bath Misaki took refreshed her body, but not her mind. Clad in her pajamas, she sat on her bed with Hikaru in her arms. She recalled the day's events. It had gotten off to a weird start with two boys she had met recently coming over to make her breakfast, but she enjoyed her time with her new friends. Practice and The Amor Burger Stop were nice, especially the burger she had. Tora was right, it was delicious. Even the Fight with Deathpincer didn't get her down. It was what happened afterward that worried her. Deathpincer's destruction because its Deus lost; she couldn't believe someone would put a self-destruct device--that was what Hikari thought reduced the monstrous Demon to pieces--into their Angel.

Everything in the Amor Burger Stop had returned to normal after Tomie and the other Demon's Game members left. After congratulating her on her win, everyone returned to eating their food and talking, especially about the Fight between Hikaru and Deathpincer and the so-called declaration of war made by Tomie on behalf of Demon's Game. Misaki explained how she figured out Deathpincer's attack strategy, which Hikari confirmed. Tora kept complaining about how he wanted to claim Deathpincer's claw for himself--the destroyed Angel's Deus missed it while he recovered what was left of the monstrous Angel. However, someone had picked it up before he could. He only stopped complaining after a few tugs to his ear by Hikari. Meanwhile, Koutarou was nursing his arm after Tamayo nearly wrenched it out of its socket when he offered his congratulations to Misaki. Tora's uncle stopped by and invited her to the Hibiki home. She said she'd think about it while she watched him pose, flex his muscles, and praise beef, chicken, potato, and bread. Kaida called her little brother "Tora-chan" again, which caused him to yell at her. Sai, Kaede, and Chiaki said their goodbyes; Sai said she and Kaede needed to run an errand or two, and Chiaki said she hoped they would meet up again. Tora voiced his relief over Chiaki leaving. Basho did the same for Sai.

"Some day, I'll show her that the new Angels can be as tough as the old ones," he said, raising his fist.

Hikari sighed. "Good luck with that." Everyone else chuckled a little. Misaki stuck with a smile hidden behind her hand.

On the way home, she couldn't get the image of Tomie saying Angelic Layer was a war. Even after dinner and a nice hot bath she couldn't forget Tomie's words. _But of course it's a war. It's our Demons against your trash, and we have the technological edge. You've seen our Mobile Layers and our Demons. What makes you think you can defeat us?_

"I thought Angelic Layer was supposed to be fun, Hikaru." Misaki lay on her bed, holding up Hikaru. _But Tomie-san thinks it's a war. Aren't wars bad? Shouldn't Angelic Layer be just a game everyone can enjoy and make new friends?_

Memories of her first season as a Deus passed through her mind, especially when she made new friends like Kobayashi Hatoko and Seto Ringo. They were fierce opponents in the Layer, but outside it, they got along well. That was one thing she liked about Angelic Layer--it let her meet other people who could become her friends.

Tomie was different, however. She didn't want to make friends. She seemed to want to make enemies inside and outside the Layer. She wasn't interesting in playing the sport for fun, although Misaki wondered if she thought making your opponents suffer was fun for her. Winning was clearly everything to her. It had to be an attitude shared by all of Demon's Game.

"Demon's Game." Saying those two words made Misaki shiver. Her grandparents in the country often mentioned demons, and not in a good way. She looked at Hikaru. "I wonder why they want to hurt you and the other Angels." She sighed. _Tomie-san, why can't you just enjoy Angelic Layer, win or lose?_

* * *

Mihara Ichiro almost choked on the lemon drop in his throat. After swallowing loudly, he resumed the conversation. "So you're as baffled about this as I am?"

Before him, the head of Winston Culpepper on video display nodded. "I don't get it myself. Portable Layers, you say?"

Chief Mihara gulped down a glass of water while keeping the phone's receiver to his ear. "That's what I've been told. They work just like our regular Layers, but the fields are being generated by a little disk, and the fields are composed of solid Impact Light." He raised an eyebrow. "Imagitech's been working on portable Layers, right?"

"Yes we have, but we haven't moved beyond the alpha testing stage. We're trying to figure out how to generate that solid an Impact Light field using a compact power source. The notes looks simple, but we're still working out the kinks, not to mention what we've come with so far would give people hernias if they tried carrying them around all day."

"Looks like someone's beaten you to creating them, Winston." Chief Mihara tossed another lemon drop into his mouth. "So," he said as he sucked on the sweet and sour candy, "you think someone stole the idea from you?"

Mr. Culpepper shook his head. "Not likely. Only ones who know about the portable Layer project are me, the development team, and now you. Plus, we keep the work on site--no work at home allowed. Oh, and before you think it, everyone on the development team is trustworthy and checks out fine. They wouldn't even think of industrial espionage."

Chief Mihara smiled as he swallowed. "You always did believe in the best in people."

"Same to you, old friend." Mr. Culpepper rubbed his chin. "So someone's created a portable Layer and Angels that resemble monsters."

"Demons--monsters that focus on not only defeating their opponents, but destroying them as well." Chief Mihara rubbed his temples. "What a headache."

"I thought you'd be happy Deuses would be buying replacement parts and new Angels," Mr. Culpepper said with a wide-toothed smile. "Good for business."

Chief Mihara sighed. "But not good for the kids. Imagine your best friend dying before your eyes. That's how they feel after those monsters tear their Angels to bits."

"We've been there before, remember, Ichiro?"

Chief Mihara rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, we have." He shook his head. "If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"His final gift to us."

"And now someone seems to have stumbled across it and is using it against us." Chief Mihara rubbed his chin. "So what do you know about this Demon's Game organization?"

"Sadly, only as much as you," Mr. Culpepper said.

"And all I know is that they're well organized, have access to similar technology and are savvy with it enough to improve on it, and see Angelic Layer as a war between their Demons and our Angels." Chief Mihara crunched a lemon drop between his teeth. "It's disgusting, isn't it? Turning something meant to have fun into a serious conflict. Kids shouldn't have to worry about stuff like war."

"Shame the world doesn't work that way."

"Yeah, but Angelic Layer's just a sport. A sport with no agendas of any kind, and now we've got a gang running around declaring war on other Deuses and their Angels. To make things worse, aside from breaking their opponents' Angels and mutating their Angels into Demons, they're staying within the rules of the game." Chief Mihara let out a sigh as he leaned into his chair. "Like I said, I'm disgusted."

Mr. Culpepper broke the two minute silence that followed. "So have you started analyzing that sample that was brought in?"

Chief Mihara groaned. "Not yet. Maybe tomorrow. I'm curious as to how they can defy physics and create something that large from the standard template, but I'm still trying to grasp the concept that Deuses like that are out there. They make the Fujisaki sisters look tame."

"You should get some sleep, old friend," Mr. Culpepper said. "Need to rest your brain, don't you know?"

Chief Mihara yawned despite himself. "You're right. Thanks for taking my call, and give my regards to Cynthia and Derek."

"I will, and don't worry, we'll look over things on our end."

"Same here. Hopefully we'll find out more about Demon's Game and what they're up to."

"Goodbye, Ichiro. Keep dreaming."

"Same to you, Winston. Goodbye."

Mr. Culpepper's face vanished from the video display, and Chief Mihara hung up.

* * *

Gaizock paced back and forth behind his desk, his arms folded behind his back while his cape flapped behind him. "So, Hikaru still functions."

Standing at attention, Tomie kept her head down while she spoke. "I'm afraid so, Shogun Gaizock-sama. Deathpincer wasn't able to complete the mission. Its Deus awaits punishment for his failure."

"I see." Gaizock stopped before his chair and rubbed the bottom of his mask. "Oh well. One defeat does not mean we have lost the war."

"No, sir, it does not." Tomie lifted her head slightly so she could see her superior.

Gaizock adjusted his thick-lensed glasses. "Nevertheless, Hikaru defeating Deathpincer will encourage the low-minded Deuses to resist us, to have hope." Tomie imagined him frowning behind the mask that covered the lower half of his face. "Our supreme leader does not want any Deus to have hope, so I don't want them to have hope. Is that understood, Tomie?"

"It is, sir."

"I assume you've reviewed the status of Operation Destroy Hikaru?"

"I have, sir." Tomie made sure she kept her back straight. "It appears our frontline Deuses and Demons will not be able to take out Hikaru, especially with her Deus being Suzuhara."

"Yes, Suzuhara is rather annoying, isn't she?" Gaizock rubbed the bottom of his mask. "I must grudgingly admit that she is a formidable opponent."

"Don't worry, Shogun Gaizock-sama." Tomie gestured to herself and the three dark-suited people standing with her. She glanced at them. "Leave the disposal of Hikaru to us, your faithful Kuroshi."

"I'm sure my tricks will confuse her before I move in for the kill." The first one held out a feathery fan, and a fireball appeared over it.

"I believe my techniques will be more than enough to finish off Hikaru," the second one said, his beaked head bowed.

The third one opened and closed his hand repeatedly before his masked face. "I need to acknowledge being alive and end my boredom by killing Hikaru."

Tomie grinned. "As for me, I'll gladly reduce Hikaru to shreds."

"I don't care who takes out Hikaru!" Gaizock slammed his fist into his desk, the noise echoing around the room. Tomie winced at the sound. "We must eliminate her at least before the national tournament starts. That is the order from our supreme leader." He folded his arms behind his back. "Do not disappoint me, my Kuroshi."

"Yes, sir!" Tomie and the other three saluted him. "DG, dominate!"


	5. Ayukawa's Announcement and Ringo's Idea

Disclaimer: Angelic Layer is the creation of CLAMP. Any non-canon characters belong to me. Got that? ;o)

Dedicated to Firebird/Shutsumon and Phoenix from CCU, who never did get back to his AL fic :o) This is for you, guys.

Angelic Layer Neo: Tokyo

Chapter 5: Ayukawa's Announcement and Ringo's Idea

by HA

During school the next day, Misaki found people talking about her win at the Amor Burger Stop. Word about it had traveled by mouth, and everywhere she went, her fellow students swarmed her. Some praised her for her victory, with the girls gushing over her. Others asked her if she was afraid. A few gave her dirty looks. She couldn't help but picture them in black outfits with black shades and berets.

"Everyone give her some air!" Tamayo said after one such gathering after school. She waved the other kids away.

Koutarou placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Misaki sighed. "I wish I was."

"Why are you so down?" Tamayo grinned widely and punched skyward. "You showed that guy in gray that no one messes with Misakichi and Hikaru!"

Misaki sighed again. "Well..." She recalled Tomie standing before her. "It's that girl, Tomie-san."

Tamayo blinked at her. "What about her?"

"She said Angelic Layer was a war." Misaki rubbed her chin. "She didn't sound like she played for fun at all. She plays to win, that's all. Oh, I know you play to win and not lose, but she sounded like she took winning seriously, and what happened to Deathpincer..."

"Yeah, those Demon's Game guys take the game too seriously," Koutarou said.

"Those guys are crazy," Tamayo said. "I mean, if their Angels--"

"Demons," Koutarou said. "They call their Angels 'Demons'."

"Whatever!" Tamayo shot a look at Koutarou before continuing. "When their Demons lose, they blow up, and I didn't like the way that Tomie girl looked at you. It's like she wanted to rip Hikaru apart with her bare hands."

"I'm just wondering if she knows Jounouchi-san," Misaki said.

"Huh?"

"She looked at Jounouchi-san and wanted to fight Shirahime." Misaki folded her arms in front of her. "It seemed like they've met before."

"Maybe they did."

All three kids jumped in place. Chiaki stood next to Misaki with a smile.

"How do you keep doing that?" Tamayo said, clutching her chest.

Still smiling, Chiaki tilted her head. "Hmm? I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Oh, I'm all right," Misaki said, trying to smile. "So you think Tomie-san knows Jounouchi-san?"

"It's possible," Chiaki said. "So no one's threatened you?"

Misaki shook her head. "No, not really."

"That's good to hear." Chiaki followed them as they headed towards the exit. "DG won't take that loss lightly. They will come after you, and the other Deuses will also probably suffer."

"Naaaaaaa?" Misaki's eyes widened.

Tamayo stood between Misaki and Chiaki, her arms outstretched at her sides. "How dare you upset Misakichi!"

"It does make sense." Koutarou stayed next to Misaki. "There's been a lot of talk around the school that DG might increase their attacks on Deuses because of Misakichi's win."

"I guess that explains why some people looked at me as if I did something bad," Misaki said.

Tamayo punched the palm of her hand and rubbed it in. Her mouth was upturned and showed off two rows of clenched teeth. "Oh, they did, did they?" She shook her fist towards the school. "Okay, anyone who gave Misakichi a dirty look today, get out here now!"

Misaki sweatdropped. "Um, Tamayo-chan, you don't have to..."

"Get out here now, you cowards!"

Koutarou shook his head and sighed. Chiaki leaned closer to Misaki. "Kizaki-san is...interesting," she whispered.

Misaki chuckled nervously. "Well, that's one way to put it..."

"Good afternoon, everyone," Hatoko said as she joined the group. She watched as Tamayo continued yelling towards the school. "What is she doing?"

"Calling out anyone who gave Misakichi a dirty look," her older brother answered.

Hatoko turned to Misaki. "Oh, I heard about your fight yesterday. My classmates were talking about it."

"Really?" Misaki said.

"Yes, they were happy you beat that crab-like Angel. Is Hikaru all right?"

Misaki glanced at her backpack. "No serious damage," she said with a smile.

"Suzuhara-senpai!"

Tora and his friends ran up to them. He bent over and gasped for air.

"Hello there," Misaki said. "What are you doing here?"

Basho clutched his chest. "Wanted...to...ask...you--"

Tora shot up. "Who you picked to be your disciple!"

Tamayo rolled her eyes back. "You're still wondering about that?"

"Well, we did get sidetracked because of yesterday," Basho said, standing straight.

Hikari groaned. "Why me?"

"You didn't have to come along," Tora said.

Hikari's breathing slowed. Her cheeks displayed a red blush. "W-W-Well, someone has to keep an eye on you..." The blush reddened further, and she cleared her throat loudly. "Er, I mean you two, of course."

The two boys faced Misaki. "So, who's your choice to be your disciple?"

Misaki edged away from them and chuckled nervously. Tamayo stretched out her arm and took her aside.

"You'd better make your choice soon, Misakichi," she said with a grin. "Of course, no matter what, Koutarou-chan will have a rival in love."

"What do you mean by that?" Koutarou said, glaring at Tamayo.

A white limousine with tinted windows pulled up to the curb. Koutarou blinked at the sight. "I wonder whose car that is."

The chauffeur, a thin man dressed in a pressed dark suit with matching cap and shoes, stepped out. "Suzuhara Misaki-san and Kobayashi Hatoko-san?"

"That's me," Misaki said.

"I'm Kobayashi-san," Hatoko said.

"Can we help you?"

The chauffeur gestured towards the car. "Your presence is required at the moment, so if you could please step inside."

Tamayo let out a whistle. "Whoa, nice car." She slapped Misaki on the back. "Come on, let's go!"

The chauffeur cleared his throat. "I'm afraid only Suzuhara-san and Kobayashi-san were invited."

"Oh come on." The passenger side window rolled down, and a head topped with blond hair styled into two long pigtails peeked out. "I'm sure you can make an exception for me, right?"

Misaki smiled and stared at the passenger. "Ringo-san!"

Seto Ringo smiled. "Hiya, Misakichi."

The chauffeur looked back and forth between Ringo and Misaki and her friends. "But my orders are--"

"Oh, it'll be fine. Misakichi's friends are always welcome." Ringo stared at Tora and his friends and tapped her chin. "Although, to be honest, and no offense to you guys, I don't know who those three are."

Tora gnashed his teeth and clenched his hands into fists, but before he could say anything, Misaki said, "Oh, they're my disciples. I'm teaching them how to play Angelic Layer."

"Disciples? That's wonderful!"

Tora stared at her. "You...you really mean it?"

"Yeah, do you?" Basho's eyes looked like they were about to unleash a pair of waterfalls.

Misaki nodded. "I do." She gave them a little smile.

Both boys stared at her, then enveloped her in a tight hug. "Thank you!" they both said.

"Naaaaa!" Misaki cried out from within.

"Let her go!" Hikari said.

Tamayo laughed and pulled Koutarou into a headlock. "Looks like you've got two love rivals now, Koutarou-chan!"

As Koutarou thrashed around in Tamayo's grasp and tried to breathe, the chauffeur cleared his throat again. "We should get going. We don't want to be late."

"Oh, right!" Misaki broke out of Tora and Basho's hug. "Can Toriyama-san come along, too?"

Ringo blinked. "Who?"

Misaki turned to where Chiaki was standing, but no one was there. "Naaaa?"

"Anyone getting creeped out now?" Tora said, raising his hand while staring at everyone. "Anyone?"

"Ahem," the chauffeur said.

"Um, we'd better get going," Ringo said.

The chauffeur opened the passenger side door, and Misaki and the others walked in. Misaki couldn't help but ooh and ahh at the sight of the interior. A flatscreen TV hung before the tinted window that separated the driver from his passengers. A mini-cooler sat in the middle. The seats were lined with red cushions that felt soft as she sat next to Ringo.

"Go ahead and help yourself," Ringo said, pointing to the cooler. "We've got soda and juice."

"So what's going on?" Misaki asked the pop idol as the limousine drove off.

"Sorry, can't tell you," Ringo said with a wink.

"Does it have to do with Angelic Layer?" Tora asked as he opened a soda can.

Ringo nodded. "And that's all I'm going to say." She turned to Misaki. "I heard about the Fight you had with that monster Angel."

"Whew, word sure spreads quickly," Tamayo said.

"So it is true the other Angel self-destructed?" Ringo asked.

Misaki nodded. "Yes."

"That's horrible." Ringo shook her head. "Some people take this game too seriously."

"Well, from what I heard, this Demon's Game group is really serious," Hatoko said. "They've been challenging other Deuses to Fights."

"Yeah, like they did to Suzuhara-senpai," Tora said. He pumped his fist. "But she beat that monster!"

"Unfortunately, I don't think DG will take that lightly," Hikari said.

"You think they might want revenge?" Basho asked before gulping down his soda.

"It's possible," Hatoko said.

Ringo broke the following silence. "Hey hey, let's talk about something more cheerful." She pulled out a remote and pushed a button. The TV displayed Ringo on a stage with microphone in hand and an audience before her. "Let's watch one of my concerts, shall we?"

Everyone spent the rest of the drive watching Ringo in concert. By the time the car stopped, everyone was in a better mood. Tora rushed out of the car first as soon as the door opened. "Whoa," he said.

After stepping out, Misaki stared at the sight before her. A skyscraper towered before her with rows of windows covering it. "Ayukawa Enterprises," she said, reading the sign above the entrance.

"Ayukawa? As in Ayukawa Eiji-san, the multimillionare and philanthropist?" Hikari said.

"That's right," Ringo said as she led the way through the sliding doors.

The lobby was spacious. People in business suits walked across the carpeted floor, some talking on their cell phones. The five elevators in the far wall dinged as passengers entered and exited.

Ringo led the way to the information desk, where a man dressed in a security guard uniform sat. "Seto Ringo, Suzuhara Misaki, Kobayashi Hatoko, and friends to see Ayukawa-san."

The security guard looked up something on a monitor. "Yes, you're here. He's expecting you in his office on the top floor with the others." He pulled out a drawer and fumbled through it before pulling out a bunch of plastic cards with cloth cords and metal clips. "Visitor passes. Wear them, don't lose them, and please return them when you leave."

With everyone wearing a visitor pass, Misaki and the others entered an elevator. Koutarou pressed the button for the top floor, and the door slid closed. As it ascended, Misaki couldn't help but keep her head down.

"So who's this Ayukawa guy?" Tora asked.

Hikari sighed. "You need to watch the news more."

"Don't wanna, can't make me. So who is he?"

"He's one of the richest men in Japan. He donated a lot of money to the hospital my mother works at. Specifically, the children's wing."

"Okay, but why does he want to see three of the top Deuses in Angelic Layer?"

"Because he's the commissioner for the Japanese Angelic Layer Association," Misaki said.

Basho looked at her. "He is?"

"We have a Japanese Angelic Layer Association?" Tora said.

"Yes, and it was formed as soon as the game became an international one," Hikari said. "Every country that's accepted Angelic Layer as a sport has one or is forming one right now, and Ayukawa-san volunteered to be the commissioner of ours."

"When did you meet him, Misakichi?" Hatoko asked.

"I met him after Hikaru's fight with Drago." Misaki raised her head. "He introduced himself, and then he...talked to me in private."

"Oh yeah!" Tamayo snapped her fingers. "The guy with the beard and light brown suit. The one who looks like Santa Claus, except a little thinner."

"What did you two talk about?" Ringo asked.

The elevator dinged, and the door slid open. Misaki stepped out with Ringo and followed her down a long hallway towards a pair of doors.

Ringo pressed a button next to the doors. "Seto Ringo, Suzuhara Misaki, Kobayashi Hatoko, and friends."

"Ah, do come in," someone said over a PA speaker.

Misaki gasped as soon as she stepped through the doors. Sai and Kaede were sitting in chairs in front of a desk covered with paperwork and a computer. They weren't the only ones. Misaki spotted the Fujisaki sisters sitting next to Mihara Ohjiro. All three waved at her and the others with smiles crossing their faces. Kaede smiled, and Sai nodded.

"Darling!" Tamayo said. She dashed up to Ohjiro. "I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"

"Oh, just helping out my big brother with Angelic Layer stuff," Ohjiro answered.

A man in a brown suit looked up from his desk. He put down a picture frame and ran his hand through his thick white beard. "Ah, you're all here." He smiled and gestured towards the empty seats. "Come come, plenty for all."

Misaki joined the others in sitting down; she sat next to Koutarou. Commissioner Ayukawa stepped out from behind the desk and cleared his throat. "Well, glad all of you can make it as well as some additional guests." He beamed at Koutarou and Tamayo. "Good to see you two again, and most certainly not in a situation involving pain being inflicted on this young man," he said, nodding towards Koutarou.

Hatoko hid her mouth behind her hand as she giggled. Next to her, Koutarou gripped the armrests of his chair tightly.

"Now, down to business," Commissioner Ayukawa said. "For those who don't know me, I'm the commissioner of our local Angelic Layer Association. It's a voluntary position, and I'm glad to have taken it. I've gathered the top players from last season to discuss some items related to the sport." He leaned against his desk, his hand trembling a little. "I always start with the bad news..."

"Oh great," Tora muttered.

"...because it's best to get it out of the way." The commissioner turned to Misaki. "Misaki-chan, do you remember what we discussed after your Fight with Drago?"

Misaki bowed her head. "I do."

Commissioner Ayukawa's shoulders slumped. "I'm afraid it's come to pass."

Sai raised an eyebrow. "What's come to pass?"

"The Angelic Layer International Federation made its decision." Commissioner Ayukawa sighed deeply. "As of today, Suzuhara Misaki-chan and Hikaru can no longer participate in any official tournaments this season."

Gasps filled the room. Misaki forced herself to sit up straight. The others stared at her.

"Did...did you know about this, Misakichi?" Ringo asked.

Misaki nodded. "Okaasan said this might happen."

"What?" Tamayo shot out of her chair. "Why'd they do that?"

"That's not fair!" Fujisaki Arisu stood up, her hands balled into fists. "Suzuhara-san fought hard to win last season's national tournament. Why isn't she being allowed to defend her title?"

Fujisaki Madoka put her hand on her younger sister's shoulder. "Arisu..."

"It's not fair!" Arisu's eyes looked like they were about to let loose a flood of tears. "She loves the game, and I wanted to face her in the Layer again at the tournament, and..." She slumped into her chair and sniffled. "It's just not fair."

"I must agree," Sai said. "Why is Suzuhara unable to participate in official tournaments?"

"Because the Federation feels Hikaru must avoid anything that might wear her down before the World Championship Tournament." Commissioner Ayukawa clung onto the edge of his desk. "As you all know, Misaki-chan and Hikaru are the Prize Fight for the winner of the World Championship--"

"So that disqualifies her from playing the game she loves?" Arisu said.

Commissioner Ayukawa cleared his throat. "The majority of the Federation's commissioners feel Hikaru is too powerful to participate in any official tournaments this season."

"Too powerful?" Hatoko said.

Tora raised his hand. "I hate to say this, but they might have a point."

"You're not helping!" Arisu and Basho said, causing Tora to wave his arms in the air and to almost fall back in his chair.

Arisu leaned back in her seat. "I suppose that Commander Dragon put them up to it. His Angel did lose to Hikaru."

"Actually, he was for allowing Hikaru to participate in official tournaments," Commissioner Ayukawa said. "In fact, the American Association voiced its opposition to the proposal. In addition to her own, the American commissioner presented Commander Dragon's opinion, which was--and I quote--'Deuses and their Angels must keep playing in order to stay strong. To deny Misaki and Hikaru the right to participate in official tournaments will not benefit them. In the name of justice, peace, and love, to keep them out of the sport they love, even for just a season, is a true injustice.'"

"That's Commander Dragon, all right," Koutarou said.

"Guy's a weirdo," Tamayo said. "I mean, why does he dress and act like that?"

"I thought he looked cool," Basho said.

"So not everyone was against Misaki-san being in the tournaments?" Kaede asked.

"No, no they weren't." Commissioner Ayukawa shook his head. "Unfortunately, they were in the minority when the Federation voted. The official announcement will be released tonight, but I thought you'd all like to hear about it from me first."

Koutarou turned to Misaki. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine." Misaki steadied herself. "It'll only be for one season, and I can still play for fun and earn points in casual Fights, right?"

"That is true, Misaki-chan," Commissioner Ayukawa said. "Just think of it as a vacation. A...break from the sport."

"It's still not fair," Arisu said, glaring at him.

"Um, moving on..." Commissioner Ayukawa ran his hand through his beard, then beamed at everyone. "All right, enough bad news. Here's the real reason I called you all here. Seto-san, if you please."

Ringo stood up and joined the commissioner. She glanced at Misaki before speaking. "Well..." She cleared her throat, her eyes still on Misaki. "I had an idea that will help promote Angelic Layer and raise money for a worthy cause."

"Which is...?" Tora said. A second later, Hikari smacked him on the arm, causing him to wince.

Ringo's mouth slowly curled into a smile. "An event that combines music and Angelic Layer, of course. An Angelic Layer festival."

Tora blinked. "An Angelic Layer...festival?"

"To benefit the arts," the commissioner said. "I want to encourage people to use their imaginations and talents to benefit society. You know, singing"--Ringo beamed at this point--"dancing, acting, drawing..." He glanced towards his desk and didn't speak until a minute later. "Anyway, we'd like your input on this idea."

"Sounds good to me," Basho said.

"Yeah, sounds like fun," Tora said.

"Hmmmm...where would this festival be held?" Sai asked.

"We're thinking near Tokyo Tower," Ringo said.

"And it will be open to the public?"

"Of course."

Sai tapped her chin. "So what will be happening at the festival?"

"Oh, we'll have food booths since some of the local businesses are planning to sell food. Some game booths as well. I'll be singing, of course." Ringo beamed. "We'll also have some Layers set up so people can play Angelic Layer."

"Hmmmm..." Sai looked at Commissioner Ayukawa. "Sir, do you think it's a good idea to have such a large scale Angelic Layer event right now?"

"Oh? Why do you think that, Jounouchi-san?" the commissioner asked.

"I think she's referring to the Demon's Game organization," Kaede said.

Basho frowned. "You think those jerks will show up and ruin the festival?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Sai said. "All those Deuses in one place--it's a tempting target for DG."

"Why don't we let them show up?" Madoka raised her fist. "We can take those monster Angels on."

"I like her style," Tora said, grinning.

Hikari scowled and smacked his arm again. He winced and rubbed the spot.

"Would they dare do anything in public?" Commissioner Ayukawa said, his heand running through his beard.

"I wouldn't put it past them," Sai said. "They believe they're at war with us."

"Then wouldn't it make sense for us to fight back?"

"We should fight back," Madoka said. "I've heard stories of monster Angels beating regular Angels. Why shouldn't we fight back?"

"Did you ever see what happens to those defeated Angels?" Sai asked. "A boy had his torn to pieces."

"Not to mention what happens to a DG Angel if it loses," Hikari said.

"But DG isn't invincible!" Tora gestured to Misaki. "After all, Suzuhara-senpai and Hikaru defeated that Deathpincer thing."

"Misakichi and Hikaru kicked that thing's butt!" Tamayo said, pumping her fist into the air.

Sai frowned. "I'm afraid they're not finished with Hikaru yet."

"What are you saying? Are you saying Misakichi can't beat them?"

"No, but they seem bent on eliminating any Angel they see as a threat."

"Misakichi can beat them all!" Tamayo jumped out of her seat, her fist raised towards the ceiling.

Misaki sweatdropped. "Tamayo-chan..."

"We need to remember that we're not dealing with one Deus, but a whole army of them," Sai said firmly.

"An army?" Commissioner Ayukawa said. "Are we at war with them?"

"They said they're at war with us," Madoka said. "I'd say 'army' is a fitting term."

The commissioner sighed and ran his head through his beard. "It's the Association's official policy that Deuses avoid engaging in fights with DG members outside of official events."

"I don't think that'll stop them from fighting us," Tora said.

"Can we get back to the festival?" Ringo asked, her hands clasped together and her gaze darting left to right.

"We are discussing the festival," Sai said. "I'd like to know how safe it will be with DG running around."

The commissioner cleared his throat loudly. "Yes, well, back to the festival, I'll have my best security team on the grounds to make sure nothing bad happens. Any trouble happens, they'll take care of it."

"Will they be keeping DG members out of the festival?"

Commissioner Ayukawa shook his head. "That wouldn't be fair. We can watch them, but they'll be kicked out only if they do something wrong."

"That would be a mistake."

"I'd like to say something," Ohjiro said, raising his hand. "My brother's been analyzing a piece of the Deathpincer Demon."

Tora blinked. "When did you get a piece of Deathpincer?"

"How is the analysis going?" the commissioner asked.

Ohjiro shrugged. "We just started the analysis. Results should be in by tomorrow."

"That's helpful," Arisu said.

"Well, we can't do anything about that for now," Commissioner Ayukawa said. "Let's continue discussing the festival. Any suggestions for it?"

Misaki looked at her hands in her lap as everyone else talked about the festival. She could hear the words coming from the others, but she focused on her own thoughts. It was fair she and Hikaru wouldn't be participating in official events except as the Prize Fight for the World Championship, right? Hikaru was too powerful, wasn't she? That was why Demon's Game was out to destroy her, right? They wouldn't stop until Hikaru and every other Angel was destroyed, right?

"Misakichi?"

Misaki looked towards Hatoko. "Um, yes?"

"We'd love your input on what we should have at the festival."

Misaki tapped her forefingers together. "Um..."

Ringo raised an eyebrow and leaned in. "Misakichi, are you okay?"

"You don't look all right," Koutarou said.

"Oh my." Commissioner Ayukawa walked up to her. "What's the matter, Misaki-chan?"

"Well..." Misaki blinked. "Are we expected to attend the festival?"

Tamayo laughed a little. "That's what we just agreed on, silly."

"It would be nice if Japan's best Deuses were there," Ohjiro said.

"And that includes you, Misakichi," Ringo said, smiling.

Everyone else looked at her with a smile, even Sai. Misaki felt her hands shake. "Um, maybe I shouldn't attend."

All of them gasped, their jaws dropping. "What?"

Misaki almost jumped out of her seat. "I mean, maybe DG won't show up if I don't show up, and since I can't participate in official events..."

"Misaki-chan, you can't participate in official tournaments only," Commissioner Ayukawa said. "I'd be all right if you came to the festival."

"I doubt DG won't show up if you don't show up, Suzuhara," Sai said.

"And I think we can hold our own if they do show up, right?" Madoka smiled, waving her fist. Everyone else nodded.

"Besides, we could have a little rematch in the public Layers," Arisu said.

Misaki looked from face to face. Everyone was still smiling. After a while, she let herself smile back. "All right, I'll come. Hikaru and I, we'll come to the festival."

Cheers broke out from the others. "You won't regret it, Misakichi! It's gonna be fun!" Ringo said.

Misaki hoped she would be right.

* * *

Commissioner Ayukawa watched as everyone left. The meeting had taken an hour, but he didn't mind. He wanted the Angelic Layer charity festival to go smoothly, and having the input of the best Deuses helped a lot. He silently thanked Seto Ringo for the idea.

He sat behind his desk and sighed. Fujisaki Arisu was right. It was unfair for Misaki-chan to be kept out of official tournaments for the current season. Hikaru too powerful? Athena was considered the most powerful Angel in existence before the game became an international one, and she was still allowed to participate if Shuuko felt like it. He rubbed his temples and wondered if he had made the right choice by volunteering for this position. After all, he had a company to run.

He shook his head. No, he made the right choice. The Japanese Angelic Layer Association was brand new and couldn't afford to pay a commissioner at its current stage. He couldn't blame them for being surprised when he put his name in for volunteer commissioner. Of all the people to be considered, Ayukawa Eiji wasn't the first person people thought of being a lover of Angelic Layer. Didn't he once say that it was a waste of time to fight with dolls?

He picked up the framed photograph and looked at it. His younger self stared at him, his mouth forming a perfectly straight line. Besides him, a young boy in clothes that looked too uncomfortable for him looked away from him, his mouth forming the perfect scowl. A sketchbook was tucked under his arm. Between them, a woman wearing a blue dress smiled.

Commissioner Ayukawa sighed and ran his forefinger over the boy's face. "I know you can't hear me, but I'll say it again. I'm sorry for being a fool as well as calling you a disgrace to the family. I hope someday you'll forgive me for being a stubborn old fool."

He bowed his head and closed his eyes, hoping somehow his words would reach the boy.

* * *

No one spoke as everyone handed over her or his visitor's pass to the front desk guard. The limousine ride proved to be livelier with Ringo giving everyone a preview of what songs she would be singing at the festival. Misaki didn't listen to the singing and following applause. In fact, she kept her eyes on her hands.

Would it be a good idea to go to the festival? Yes, it sounded fun, especially with all the activities planned, and the food was sure to be great. But did she really want to go, especially with Demon's Game out to destroy Hikaru and every other Angel? The festival would be ideal for them. All those Deuses and their Angels--DG would target them, especially Hikaru, if she decided to come. But what if she didn't come and DG started fighting the other Deuses? Shouldn't she be there to help fight them off? Hikaru defeated Deathpincer; it was possible for her to fight a Demon. But what if the next Demon proved to be stronger than Deathpincer and tougher than Hikaru? DG created monsters; maybe they had one ready to take out Hikaru. Maybe...

"Hey."

Misaki looked towards Arisu, who was sitting next to her older sister with her arms folded. "Um, yes?"

"You're not going to go back on your word and not come to the festival, are you?"

"Um..."

"Excuse my sister," Madoka said, smiling. "She just wants Alice to fight Hikaru again."

"I've come up with some new fighting techniques," Arisu said. "You and Hikaru won't beat us this time."

"You should come, Misakichi," Tamayo said as she hugged Ohjiro as tightly as she could. "It'll be fun, right, darling?"

Ohjiro nodded, his face turning an interesting shade of red.

"You've gotta come, senpai!" Tora said, his hands balled into fists. "It's my chance to prove to everyone that Zero is powerful!"

"You mean you'll get the chance to let people see Zero get his butt kicked repeatedly," Basho said.

Tora glared at him. "You want Zero to kick Baraxus's butt right here and now?"

Basho grinned back. "Would love to see you try."

Hikaru sighed while massaging her temples. "There's no Layer in here."

"We won't let anything happen to Hikaru and the other Angels," Sai said. "DG won't find us to be easy prey."

Kaede nodded. "Besides, Ayukawa-san said he would have his best security team there."

"And you owe me a rematch!" Arisu said. "Since Alice can't fight Hikaru in an official tournament, I want them to fight at the festival."

Misaki stared at the younger girl. She gave her answer after a moment of silence. "I am coming to the festival." She smiled. "It would be nice to face you in the Layer again."

Arisu bowed her head. "Thank you."

Hatoko clapped her hands together. "My, that will be an interesting Fight."

"Let's make it a fun one," Misaki said.

Arisu nodded, her mouth curled upward.

* * *

"You don't fool me," Madoka said after she waved goodbye to the departing limousine.

Arisu still held her hand up mid-wave as she stared at her sister. "Hmm?"

"You always did have trouble expressing your true feelings."

"Wh-wh-what are you talking about?" Arisu's cheeks turned crimson.

Madoka smiled. "Well, it makes sense. We Deuses do bond with each other through Angelic Layer, and besides, it's nice to have a friend rather than an enemy, right?"

Arisu bowed her head. "I...I suppose."

Madoka laughed and patted her sister on the shoulder. "Let's go inside," she said, jabbing her thumb towards the house behind them.

* * *

"You're still worried about Demon's Game," Kaede said as the limousine drove away.

Sai frowned. "They're persistent. They won't rest until they win this so-called war."

They started walking together. "That girl, the one who called herself Tomie," Kaede said. "It seemed like she knew you."

Sai tapped her chin. "I'm not so sure why anyone would have a grudge against me."

"It's puzzling, isn't it?" Kaede smiled.

Sai's mouth curled slightly upward. "I suppose it is."

The two girls continued walking. All the while, Sai searched her memory.

* * *

"Everything will be all right," Koutarou said as he walked Misaki to the door.

Misaki sighed. "It's a shame I won't be able to fight in official tournaments."

"But you'll be fighting the World Champion!" Tamayo said. "You'll show that Deus why you're the best in the world!"

Misaki looked skyward and smiled.

"Huh? Why are you smiling, Misakichi?"

Misaki turned to her friends. "I'll be fighting the World Champion. I mean, we'll be seeing Deuses from other countries, and I get to fight the best one among them." She kept her gaze skyward. "I wonder how the foreign Angels will be like..."

"It won't matter, because you'll kick all their butts!" Tamayo pumped her fist into the air.

Koutarou put his hand on Misaki's shoulder. "I hope you'll be all right."

Misaki's cheeks heated up. "Koutarou-chan..."

"Oh give me a break!" Tamayo spun around and kicked him in the face. After he crashed to the ground, Tamayo rolled him onto his stomach and got him into the camel clutch. "If you want to make kissyface with Misakichi, you must defeat me in battle!" she said as she bent his head back as far as it could go.

"Naa!" Misaki said, her arms waving in the air.

* * *

"What do you mean you haven't found anything different?"

Ogata backed away from Chief Mihara. "Well, sir, the arm doesn't seem any different from any other Angel part aside from extra mass."

Chief Mihara lowered the paper fan and rubbed his chin. "Extra mass, you say?"

"Yes, sir."

Chief Mihara rubbed his forehead. "Keep running any test you can come up with."

"But sir--"

"Just do it!"

Ogata almost jumped towards the office door. "Okay, sir."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes, sir?"

"If you don't find anything that can help us, I'll kill you."

The office door flew open and slammed shut within a couple of seconds. The sound of rapid-moving footsteps filled the air.

"You really shouldn't be so tough on him."

Chief Mihara turned to Shuuko and shrugged. "Hey, it gets him to work hard." He rubbed his forehead. "What a puzzle, though."

Shuuko blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that no one has access to the technology that created the Angels and everything else in Angelic Layer except Imagitech, and Winston is just coming up with new accessories like the portable Layers and Impact Light weapons. He's not creating Angels right now."

"Maybe they just bought their Angels like everyone else."

"Maybe, but that doesn't explain how they can modify their Angels to that degree, not to mention how they came up with portable Layers before we could."

"Couldn't it be someone else who knows about the technology?"

Chief Mihara sighed. "Winston and I are the only ones." He rubbed his chin with the end of the paper fan. "Well, the only ones alive, at least."

"I see." Shuuko leaned against the desk.

"You heard about Misaki?"

Shuuko nodded. "Ayukawa-san called me. He said she took it well."

"She's a strong girl," Chief Mihara said. "Still, it's unfair."

"There's always next season."

"Care to tell her that?" Chief Mihara grinned.

Shuuko's face became tomato red, and her body shook. "Um, um..."

Chief Mihara paced back and forth in the middle of his office. "Now how the heck could Demon's Game get their hands on the Angel technology?"

"You shouldn't stress out over it," Shuuko said, her face now back to her normal skin tone. "After all, you and Culpepper-san have people looking into it."

"That's true, and they did get us that sample." Chief Mihara rubbed his chin. "Still, I can't let Demon's Game run around and destroy Angels. I can't stand toys being destroyed, especially ones people put a lot of work into making." He frowned. "And they want Hikaru destroyed, and this festival..."

"You don't think it's a good idea?"

"It'd be a great idea if those DG thugs weren't running around."

"Ayukawa-san said he'll have the best security at the festival."

Chief Mihara rested the paper fan across his shoulders and behind his neck. "I hope so. I really hope so."


	6. Searching for a Happy Place

Disclaimer: Angelic Layer is the creation of CLAMP. Any non-canon characters belong to me. Got that? ;o)

Dedicated to Firebird/Shutsumon and Phoenix from CCU, who never did get back to his AL fic :o) This is for you, guys.

Anyone who figures out which anime I got ideas from for the new character in this chapter gets a cookie or doughnut.

Angelic Layer Neo: Tokyo

Chapter 6: Searching For a Happy Place

by HA

Naturally, there was talk at Eriol Academy the next day. Whenever Misaki walked into a room, everyone stopped talking loudly and began whispering among themselves while giving her an occasional look. Some students offered their condolences and hoped she would be back next season.

"It's really unfair," Tamayo said as she and Misaki exited the school with Koutarou.

"That's the twentieth time you've said that today," Koutarou said.

Tamayo spun around to face him. "Well, it is!" she said, causing him to jump back. "Just because the other countries are afraid of Hikaru..."

"We don't know that for sure."

"It's the only reason that makes sense."

"You sound like everyone else!"

As her two friends argued--with Koutarou keeping a good distance away from Tamayo--Misaki thought about what she could do now she was no longer allowed to compete this season. Training Tora and his friends came to mind--they needed the help, especially Hikari. She didn't seem too into Angelic Layer, but if she wanted to play, Misaki would help her control Ririka better. Tora needed to learn how to not depend so much on Zero's Impact Light weapons; she agreed with Sai that depending too much on weapons could turn into a liability--the fight with Deathpincer told her that. As for Basho, she didn't see any problems, although she would have to watch him in a Fight. Yes, all of them needed more experience in the Layer. It'd be a good thing for them to do more Angelic Fights. Well, with regular Deuses--she didn't want them to fight any DG members. At least, she didn't want them to fight them at their current level. She knew she couldn't force them to avoid DG, but at least she could prepare them for when a DG member made them fight. Aside from helping them fight DG, she wanted to help them ready for the Kanto tournament. She knew it would be tough, and...

She sighed. It still hurt. Not playing this season...it did seem unfair. Shouko said so, and so did her mother, although she voiced her opinion on the matter while hiding behind the couch with a red face. Yes, she would be at the festival, and yes, she did promise Arisu she would fight her in the Layer, but it wouldn't be the same as an official tournament. She enjoyed her run last season; she met new friends, and she had hoped to meet more this season, especially the international Deuses, but now...

"Suzuhara!"

Misaki jumped in place. Clutching her chest, she looked for the speaker and saw several boys standing before her. All of them were dressed like street punks and were looking towards a boy with bleached hair standing in the middle. He towered over them all. He wore a slightly tattered blue longcoat with the collar up and geta on his bare feet, and a pair of pointed shades hid his eyes.

He pointed to Misaki. "Hey, are you Suzuhara, the Angelic Layer champion?"

"Hey!" Tamayo stomped to Misaki's side. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

A boy with a green mohawk and pierced nose sneered at her. "Hey, don't talk to Boss Kamiya like that, little girl!"

"Yeah, show some respect!" a bald boy said.

Koutarou raised an eyebrow. "Boss...Kamiya?"

The boy jabbed his thumb towards his chest and grinned widely. "That's me, Boss Kamiya, leader of Kamiya-dan."

"Yeah!" the other boys cried out, pumping their fists skyward.

Tamayo stared at them. "And that would be...?"

Still grinning, Boss Kamiya rubbed his square jaw. "Why, we're going to take Angelic Layer by storm."

"Come again?"

Boss Kamiya placed his hands on his hips and laughed. "Me and my boys are gonna dominate the Kanto tournament, and from there, we'll be the top Deuses in Japan!"

"So...you're a gang of...Deuses?" Koutarou said.

"That's right!" Green mohawk said.

"Boss Kamiya will be the top Japanese Deus!" Baldy said.

"So how did a bunch of tough guys get into Angelic Layer?" Tamayo asked.

The boys looked amongst themselves, then looked at their leader. Boss Kamiya spoke loudly. "Why, isn't it obvious?"

"I don't understand," Misaki said.

Boss Kamiya balled his big hand into a fist and grinned. "We became Deuses for one goal, and only one goal." He turned to his underlings. "Tell me why we joined Angelic Layer."

"To find our happy place!" came the response.

Misaki blinked. "Happy place?"

"And what else?"

"To meet cute girls!"

Misaki stared at them. "Naa?"

"Say what?" Tamayo said.

"At first, we were reluctant," Boss Kamiya said. "I mean, only girls play Angelic Layer. Well, there are boy players, but not many boys, and I'm not sure if we could call that Mihara guy a boy, much less a man."

Tamayo snarled. "What was that?" Her hands balled into fists at her side.

"But then they started releasing stuff that made Angels more manly, and then we saw our chance to get into the game." Boss Kamiya pumped his fist into the air. "We'll show everyone that Angels and Deuses can be manly! The cute girls will come to us, won't they, guys?"

"That's right, boss!"

"And why's that?"

"Because we're manly men!"

"Right! Not like that Wizard guy, and what's up with that Mihara--"

A foot to the face courtesy of Tamayo kept him from finishing, and he crashed to the pavement.

Misaki gasped. "Tamayo-chan!"

"You want some more?" she yelled to the fallen gang leader, her face as red as a tomato and steam coming out of her ears.

"Hey!"

The punks marched forward, their fists at the ready. Misaki noticed they were trembling.

"You can't do that to our boss!" they said, keeping their distance from Tamayo.

"Stand down!"

Boss Kamiya rose to his feet rubbing his jaw and cheeks. "Heh, you got a nice kick there." He cracked his neck left and right, then sniffed the air.

Green mohawk stepped up to him. "Boss, you all right?"

"Yeah, I can smell good." Boss Kamiya inhaled deeply, then pointed to Misaki with a big grin crossing his face. "Anyway, Suzuhara, I challenge you to an Angelic Fight!"

"Yeah!" Kamiya-dan pumped their fists into the air in unison.

Tamayo blinked. "You've got to be kidding me." She turned to Koutarou. "You boys can be so silly sometimes."

"Hey!" Boss Kamiya stomped towards Misaki and towered over her. "Are you all right? Didn't you hear me? I said--"

Tamayo rushed towards the gang leader and took him down with a clothesline. Before he could recover, she sat on his back, seized his arm, and bent it towards an unnatural direction. Boss Kamiya screamed in pain and started slapping the pavement while he kicked in vain.

"Boss!" Kamiya-dan said in unison, not moving from their spot.

"If you want to get to Misakichi, you've got to get past me!" Tamayo said through clenched teeth as she pulled harder.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa!" Waterfall tears flowed from the gang leader's eyes and over his cheeks as he continued to tap out.

"She's a demon!" Kamiya-dan trembled in unison. "A demon from Hell!"

"Um, Tamayo-chan?" Misaki pointed to Boss Kamiya. "Can you please let go of him?"

"Huh?" Tamayo looked up, still bending Boss Kamiya's arm back as far as she could. "You want me to let him go?"

Misaki nodded. "I'm willing to have an Angelic Fight with him."

"If you say so." Tamayo let go and walked away from her victim.

Kamiya-dan rushed forward to their leader. "Boss?" Baldy said, tapping him on the shoulder.

Boss Kamiya gasped for breath and jumped to his feet. He opened his mouth to speak, but then coughed and beat his chest. After a few deep breaths, he spoke. "I know a place where we can fight."

Minutes later, Misaki found herself along with Koutarou and Tamayo following Kamiya and his gang. Tamayo leaned in to whisper into Misaki's ear. "Why'd you accept his challenge? He could be a DG member."

"Hey!" Kamiya turned around, stomping his geta-clad foot against the pavement. "I'm not a member of that gang of thugs!" His hand tightened into a fist.

"Gang of thugs?" Tamayo raised an eyebrow at him. "Look who's talking."

"Boss Kamiya would never join a group like that!" Green mohawk said.

"Yeah," Baldy said. "Boss Kamiya has standards. He'd never join Demon's Game."

After Koutarou managed to calm everyone down, they continued walking. "Well, it's not like I have anything else to do besides homework," Misaki whispered back. "I can still earn points for my Angel Card, right?"

They found themselves at the shop where Misaki had fought Tora. People began backing away from the Layer as Boss Kamiya and his group gathered around it. Misaki took Hikaru and her headset out of her bag.

"Suzuhara-senpai!"

Misaki turned around to see Tora, Basho, and Hikari running towards her. Both boys bent over and caught their breath.

"Thank goodness we've caught up with you," Tora said, gasping for air.

"You've been following us?" Koutarou asked.

"Yeah," Basho said.

"And how long have you been following us?" Tamayo asked.

"Since Eriol Academy," Hikari said. "We were about to see you, but then these guys"--she jabbed a thumb towards Kamiya-dan--"had you follow them."

"What's going on, senpai?" Tora asked, now standing straight.

"She's going to fight him in the Layer." Koutarou pointed to Boss Kamiya.

Hikari blinked, then adjusted her glasses. "Kamiya?"

Tora stared at the gang leader. "Kamiya?"

"You know him?" Tamayo asked.

"I wouldn't say I know him, but I've seen him in our neighborhood," Hikari said.

"Yeah, sometimes the neighbors call the police to chase him and his gang away," Basho said.

"So he's bad news?" Koutarou asked.

"No!" Tora said.

"Not really," Hikari said. "For one thing, they just loiter."

"Loiter?" Misaki said.

"Yeah, they just wander around." Hikari rubbed her chin. "Although, come to think of it, I haven't seen them around for quite a while."

"They're not bad people, senpai," Tora said. "In fact, they're cool."

"Come again?" Basho and Hikari said.

Before Misaki could say anything, Boss Kamiya shouted to her. "Hey, Suzuhara, are we gonna fight or what?"

Misaki turned to face her opponent across the Layer. Sporting the Angelic Layer headset, he held an armored Angel in his hands. It wore a coat like his, although it was red instead of blue, and a cap adorned its head. A transparent visor covered its eyes, and its forearms sported a gauntlet each.

"I'm ready," she said as she put on her headset.

Boss Kamiya pumped his fist in the air. "All right, let's do this!" He threw his Angel into the Layer at the same time as Misaki. "Drill your way to victory! Akaban, fall in!"

Hikaru nearly lost her balance; the Layer shook a little when Akaban landed on his feet. Misaki recalled the first Fight she watched--Athena versus the stronger, muscular Angel. She studied Akaban. He wasn't bulky, but his frame suggested that he was a Power-Type. It wasn't going to be easy to knock him out of the Layer. She didn't notice any weapon ports, but then, new Angels did have the option to have an Impact Light generator installed.

"Spiral Knuckle!" Boss Kamiya yelled loudly while shaking his fist.

Hikaru jumped to the side to avoid Akaban charging forward with his fist out. An Impact Light drill glowed around it, its spinning making a rapid whirling sound. Akaban ended up near the edge of the Layer. Hikaru aimed a kick to his back, and he hopped a little forward while Hikaru fell to the ground. The display above the Layer showed both Angels suffering a little pip of damage.

"Nice kick," Boss Kamiya said as Akaban turned around. "Here's mine. Spiral Kick!"

Hikaru barely dodged the incoming Impact Light drill kick; its edge brushed against her, and a chunk of energy vanished from her damage meter. Misaki gasped.

"She lost that much from that?" Tamayo said.

Boss Kamiya laughed, his hands on his hips. "Behold the power of Akaban! Even blocking won't save your Angel!"

"You go, boss!" Kamiya-dan said.

"Spiral Knuckle!"

Akaban charged forward with another Impact light drill fist. Hikaru jumped into the air, but the drillbit struck her in the chest, throwing her back. Misaki winced as Hikaru crashed onto the Layer. The display showed that Hikaru's damage meter was cut down to one-third.

"Not good," Koutarou said.

Hikaru got up as Akaban ran towards her.

"Spiral Knuckle!" Boss Kamiya said.

Hikaru blocked the incoming punch with her arms. The impact sent her skidding back towards the edge of the Layer. Hardly anything was left in her damage meter.

"This is bad," Hikari said.

"All right, boss!" Kamiya-dan said.

"Oh shut up!" Tamayo said.

Kamiya-dan fell silent.

"Heh." Boss Kamiya grinned. "It's still not over yet, boys. Gotta knock her out or knock her down." He rubbed his chin. "Still gonna be good no matter how it ends, right, Suzuhara?"

Misaki smiled back. "Right."

"All right! Time to finish this!" Boss Kamiya pointed skyward. "Akaban, Spiral Breaker!"

Akaban raised his arm, and a giant Impact Light drill shot out. It spun rapidly in place.

"Whoa! That's big!" Tora said.

"Tell me something I don't know," Basho said.

"Misakichi, do something!" Tamayo said.

"Gotta beat you with my full power, Suzuhara." Boss Kamiya turned to his gang. "Why must I do that?"

"Because you're a man, boss!" came the reply.

"Damn right." Boss Kamiya turned to Misaki. "You can give up now if you want to. No Angel's beaten Akaban's Spiral Breaker before."

"That's right, boss! It's an unbeatable technique!"

"Shut up!" Tamayo said.

Kamiya-dan did so.

Boss Kamiya cleared his throat. "Suzuhara, the odds are against you. If Akaban's Spiral Breaker connects with Hikaru in her current condition, she'll lose. I don't like it when people give up, but it's okay to give up when you're going to lose for sure."

Misaki fixed a stare at her opponent. "I'm not giving up."

"You're not?"

She shook her head. "I'm not giving up."

Boss Kamiya laughed. "I like you, Suzuhara. Gotta admire your gutsiness."

"Th-Th-Thank you," Misaki said.

"Okay, if you've got something left, now's the time to do it." Boss Kamiya looked at his Angel. "All right, Akaban, finish this. Go!"

Akaban charged towards Hikaru, his Spiral Breaker spinning before him. The whirling of the giant drill filled the air.

Misaki focused on what she would do next. She steeled herself as the Spiral Breaker got closer. Just as its tip was close to Hikaru, she made her move.

_Now!_

Hikaru jumped over the charging Angel as high as she could, then took aim. Everyone ooohed and aaahed at the sight of the glowing pink ball between Hikaru's hands.

"Huh?" Boss Kamiya said. "Oh no!"

Hikaru unleashed the Soul of Light just as Akaban turned around. As she landed on the opposite side of the Layer, the attack impacted with the Spiral Breaker, causing it to erupt into a powerful explosion. Akaban flew off the Layer and into Misaki's hands.

"Layer Out! Hikaru wins!" a boy said, raising his hand.

The spectators cheered. "All right, senpai!" Tora said.

Kamiya-dan stared at Hikaru. "The boss lost!" Some of them were crying despite themselves, their tears running down their cheeks before they turned around and wiped their faces as fast as they could.

Misaki staggered under the weight of Tamayo's arm wrapped around her. "You did it, Misakichi!" She grinned at her friend.

Misaki smiled back, and the spectators started gathering around her, all of them praising her performance. However, she peeked past them and saw Boss Kamiya walking towards her with Hikaru in his arms. The crowd parted so he could get through.

"Oh!" Misaki held Akaban out to his Deus. "Here."

Boss Kamiya stared at her. After a while, he handed over Hikaru and took Akaban into his arms.

"Akaban's very powerful," Misaki said. "You could've won."

Boss Kamiya laughed loudly, which caused some people, including Misaki, to jump back. "You are the best Deus in the world!" He slapped her on the back, causing her to stumble forward a little. "You may be little, but you have a big strong heart."

"Hey, don't make fun of Misakichi!" Tamayo marched forward, her fists at the ready.

Kamiya-dan hid behind their leader. "No no no, the boss isn't making fun of her," Green mohawk said.

"I'm not," Boss Kamiya said. He flexed a bicep. "You may have a short stature, but your heart...it's big, very big." He laughed again. "I knew I was in for a tough fight, but I had to know how powerful you were, Suzuhara."

Misaki gasped as Boss Kamiya went down on his knees with his hands clasped together. "Um, you don't have to..."

"Whoa." Tora stepped forward. "I've never seen Kamiya do that before."

"You are the stronger of us," Boss Kamiya said with his head down. "I want to be a stronger Deus. Please make me your disciple."

Kamiya-dan got to their knees behind their leader. "Us too, Suzuhara!"

Misaki stared at the gang members. "Naaaa?"

"Here we go again," Koutarou said.

* * *

"This is delicious!" Boss Kamiya said after he swallowed a big bite of burger.

Hikari sighed. "Maybe you should keep it down."

Misaki looked around from the booth they occupied. The other customers in the Amor Burger Stop were staring at them. She laughed nervously as Boss Kamiya sucked his soda through a straw making a loud slurping sound.

"Man, I've never had such a good burger," the gang leader said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Much better food here than at the Angel Cafes."

Misaki looked at the pile of paper wrappers in front of Boss Kamiya. "Um, you didn't have to pay for everything. I could've done it."

Boss Kamiya shook his head and raised his head. "Suzuhara, it's my treat. Don't worry about it."

"I'm amazed you have money to pay for all this food," Tamayo said, giving the gang leader a glare from beside Misaki.

"Oh, I've been working a few odd jobs here and there."

Tora raised an eyebrow. "Jobs? You?"

"Yeah. Had to earn the money to buy our Angels somehow. Pretty pricy stuff."

"I have to agree," Basho said.

"Guess that explains why we haven't seen you guys around lately," Hikari said.

"Yeah, the boss and us've been working hard," Green mohawk said from the nearby table.

"It was tough, but we earned the money," Baldy said.

"Ah, to earn your own money..." Boss Kamiya grinned. "It's a good feeling." He bit into his burger again. "Delicious!"

Kaida and a skinny man approached the booth. His ears were big and wide. "Um, sir, I'll have to ask you to keep it down," he said in a quiet voice.

Boss Kamiya rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that."

"Who's the guy with the big ears?" Tamayo asked.

"That's Saruta, the manager," Tora said. "He runs the place for my uncle, and he's a real stickler for the rules."

Kaida frowned. "Kamiya."

Boss Kamiya waved to her, his cheeks turning red. "Hiya, Kaida-san. It's been a while."

Kaida rolled her eyes. "It hasn't been long enough."

Basho looked from Kaida to the gang leader. "You two know each other?"

"Before this guy dropped out, we used to be in the same high school class," Kaida said, pointing to the gang leader.

"I never was good at book learning," Boss Kamiya said. "The streets were better teachers."

Kaida shook her head. "And just when I thought you were improving when it came to picking friends, Tora-chan."

"Stop calling me that!" Tora said, his cheeks red.

Saruta moved his open hands up and down. "Please keep it down."

Basho pointed at Tora. "You never said your sister and Kamiya dated!"

"Excuse me!" Kaida's cheeks were a brilliant crimson. "We never dated!"

Saruta groaned. "Please, everyone..."

"Oh, come on, Kaida-san." Boss Kamiya smiled at her. "You know you were attracted to me when we were still in high school."

The sound of Kaida's open palm making contact against Boss Kamiya's cheek echoed throughout the Amor Burger Stop. Saruta watched as Kaida stomped off with steam shooting out of her ears.

"Boss!" Kamiya-dan said from their table.

Boss Kamiya rubbed the spot, his mouth curled into a little smile. "She still likes me."

"Like heck she does!" Basho said.

"People..." Saruta said, rubbing his temples.

"Now now, what's going on?" Tora's uncle appeared at the booth, towering over everyone. "Saruta-kun, what's the problem?"

Saruta sighed. "This young man keeps making noise, sir." He pointed to Boss Kamiya.

"Oh?" Tora's uncle raised an eyebrow at the gang leader. "Ah, Kamiya-san, it's been a while."

Boss Kamiya laughed nervously under his breath. "Um, hello, Hibiki-san."

"Good afternoon, Hibiki-san," Kamiya-dan said from their table, all of them trembling.

Boss Kamiya shook as he spoke. "So this is your restaurant?"

Tora's uncle nodded. "Opened it earlier this year. It was in the news."

"Um, you know I don't pay attention to the news, ojisan."

"Maybe you should start." Tora's uncle looked from the gang leader to his followers. "So you're now into Angelic Layer, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

"I doubt your parents would give you the money for an Angel." Tora's uncle looked at Akaban, who was sitting next to his Deus's pile of crumpled trash.

"They didn't. I earned the money on my own."

"Ah. You never did go back to school."

"Streets taught me what I need to know."

"Hmmmmm..." Tora's uncle rubbed his chin. "You're not working right now?"

"Nothing's turned up, no."

"This is getting interesting," Koutarou whispered to Misaki, who nodded her head.

"Hmmmm..." Tora's uncle looked down at Boss Kamiya. "So that was you expressing your love for our burgers loudly a while ago?"

"Um, yes." Boss Kamiya gripped the edge of the table.

"Sir, if he does it again, I swear I'll kick out him and his gang," Saruta said, jabbing his thumb towards Boss Kamiya's followers.

"Now now, let's not be too harsh." Tora's uncle turned to Boss Kamiya. "So you find my burgers to be delicious?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Hmmmm..." Tora's uncle tapped his chin, then folded his arms behind his back. "Saruta-kun, walk with me."

Saruta stood at attention. "Y-Y-Yes, sir."

"What's going on?" Tamayo whispered to everyone as the two men walked away, engaged in conversation.

Tora and his friends shrugged. Basho glared at Boss Kamiya, his hand alternating between open and fist-closed.

Misaki bit into a fry and sighed. She propped her head up with her hand and chewed slowly.

"Hey hey, why the sad look there?" Boss Kamiya asked. "You were the winner, after all."

"Well..." Koutarou searched for the words. "It's just that..."

"Misakichi can't be in the Angelic Layer tournaments anymore!" Tamayo said, slamming his fist into the table. Everyone else jumped in place. Kamiya-dan shivered and grabbed the edge of their table.

"It's only for this season, though," Koutarou said.

"It's still unfair, though," Tora said.

Boss Kamiya nodded. "I see. Why can't you play anymore, Suzuhara?"

Misaki recounted the meeting with Commissioner Ayukawa. After she was finished, Boss Kamiya broke into waterfall tears.

"Boss, you're crying!" Kamiya-dan said.

The gang leader sniffled and wiped his eyes and cheeks with the back of his hand. "It's all right. They're manly tears, and it's okay to shed manly tears, especially for others." He composed himself. "So they took away your happy place."

Misaki blinked. "Happy place?"

"Something that brings you ultimate joy, where you're accepted for who you are," Boss Kamiya said. "It's something you keep searching for all your life." He sighed. "Still searching for mine."

"You are?"

"Yeah." Boss Kamiya sighed again. "I know people see me as a punk with no future because I dropped out of high school, and I want to prove them wrong." He chewed on a fry, and his hand closed into a fist. "I want to show them that I can be somebody through hard work."

"Me too," Tora said. "I want to work hard so I can be the best Deus in Japan."

"Get in line," Basho said with a smile.

Boss Kamiya laughed. "I like you guys!" He grinned at Misaki. "From this point on, you're my boss, Suzuhara."

"Naaaa?"

"Hey you guys!" he said to his men. "From now on, Suzuhara's our boss, got it?"

"Got it!" Kamiya-dan said, pumping their fists into the air. "We're at your command, Boss Suzuhara!"

Misaki sweatdropped. "Um..."

"Heh, looks like you've got a lot of guys after you, Misakichi!" Tamayo grinned at her friend, then looked sideways towards Koutarou. "Looks like more competition for you."

"Hey!" Koutarou's face went red.

Kamiya laughed again. "We'll help you reach your happy place, Boss. You won't be sad any more."

"That's right," Tora said. "We'll fight on your behalf this season."

"We'll kick everyone else's butt, including DG's," Basho said.

Hikari shook her head and groaned. "Don't get overconfident."

"For Boss Suzuhara's sake, we'll fight!" Kamiya stood up and pumped his fist upward.

"Yeah!" The gang members followed their leader's example.

Misaki looked around her. Tora and his friends were smiling. Kamiya was grinning widely, and so were his friends.

"Ahem."

Tora's uncle appeared next to Kamiya. He rested his hand on his shoulder.

"I need to talk with you, Kamiya-san," he said.

Kamiya shook a little. "You do?"

"Now come along."

Misaki stared wide-eyed as Tora's uncle lifted Kamiya from his seat. He eased him onto the floor feet-first.

"Um, am I in trouble?" Kamiya asked.

"Oh no." Tora's uncle pushed him forward lightly, which almost sent Kamiya flying into the wall had he not dug in his feet. "I'd like to see your friends as well."

Kamiya-dan shot out of their seats in unison. "Yes, sir!"

As Kamiya and his friends followed Tora's uncle, Misaki looked around her, pausing to study her friends, old and new. All of them thanks to Angelic Layer. She watched as Tora and his friends talked about Kamiya and how their Angels would do in the current season. She could sense their enthusiasm, remembering how she felt when she first got into Angelic Layer. Yes, she couldn't participate in any official tournaments, but she could help her friends. Help them find their happy places. She could do that much, at least.

She felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Koutarou.

"I'm amazed at your special ability," he said.

She felt her cheeks warm up. "My...special ability?"

He nodded. "You can make friends with anyone."

Then Tamayo elbowed the side of his head, and he fell into Misaki's lap.

"Naaaaa!" Misaki almost jumped out of her seat "Ooooo...trying to get some kissyface time with Misakichi, huh?" Tamayo said.

Koutarou groaned, then pulled his head off Misaki's lap. His face sported the same shade of red on a stop sign.

"It's gonna be an interesting season, huh, senpai?" Tora asked, grinning.

Misaki beamed. "Oh, it will be."

* * *

At a table near the center of the restaurant, the girl stirred her soda with her straw, watching as it brushed past the shrinking ice cubes floating over the clear, bubbly liquid. She turned her head towards Misaki's table, where everyone was talking about Angelic Layer. With a gloved hand, she brushed a few strands of blond hair out of the way of her sunglasses.

"Well," she said, letting her mouth curl into a smile. "Things are getting...interesting."

She sipped some soda through her straw while glancing occasionally at the Angel seated before her.


End file.
